Dark Angel: Brothers In Arms
by Winter
Summary: This is a consolidated and re-writen version of my first fic Dark Angel. A year on from the death of Andross, the war still rages and a shadow has spread across the stars
1. Angel Of Vengance

Dark Angel   
  
By Edward Weldon  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Fox characters, as Shigero Myamoto or some body   
else at Nintendo owns them. The same is true for my use of the songs "Voices" and "Info High"   
from the maccross plus soundtrack. So please don't sue me.  
Oh by the way if I catch you using my characters, then I will hunt you down and gut you like a   
fish…Kay?   
  
(Chapter 1)  
  
  
  
  
Venom fighters screamed in all directions and lasers criss-crossed the sky, half the squadron   
had already been shot down and it didn't look like help was coming anytime soon.   
  
Flight leader Jessa, a rather portly bloodhound in his mid forties hated these patrols into the   
Corneria asteroid belt. And now with a full Venom imperial fleet hunting pack chewing up his   
pilots he just realised how much he truly hated the "rock sitter run" as it was called among the   
younger pilots.   
  
When that damned carrier loomed out of the shadows of one of the larger asteroids he thought   
he must still be asleep in his bunk back at the Cornirian defence force barracks and this must be   
a nightmare. "I mean how does a ship that big get past our picket ships and get this far into our   
space."   
  
But then when it's two escort cruisers slunk out from behind the rocks and started pelting his   
squadron with laser blasts he got the rude message this is no nightmare. Then when the carrier   
started churning out wave after wave of fighters, like a swarm of angry hornets from a hive the   
old dog started wishing this was a nightmare.   
  
"Hell there goes Siddens" He exclaimed as another of fifteen Bulldog class fighters under his   
command exploded to his right, small fragments of debris pinging off the hull of his own ship, it   
was a rather morbid irony but today was Siddens's birthday.   
  
Despite the losses his men were taking Jessa and the rest of them were giving as good as they   
got. He figured that his side was getting a kill per pilot ratio of at least   
6-1 but that bloody carrier just seemed to keep churning out more ships for every wave they   
defeated.   
  
There was a rumour that Andross himself had designed these ships with an onboard   
construction line and a hold full of pilots in cryogenic storage so they could just build as many   
ships as they needed. Well by the looks of things it may as well be true.   
  
At any rate it looked as if they would win any way. Between the seemingly infinite fighters from   
the carrier and the constant pounding from the cruisers with their heavy weapons a kill ratio of   
50-1 wouldn't have mattered, the squadron was being ground down with shear weight of   
numbers.   
  
Almost as if to accentuate the point another of his pilots was smashed into an asteroid the size of   
a medium sized office building after taking a hit from one of the cruisers. Jessa figured another   
twenty minutes of this and there clear all the way into the civilian trading lanes and then the real   
massacre will begin.   
  
"Where a miracle when you need one," Jessa exclaimed. Suddenly as if in reply a massive   
explosion ripped through the carrier's flight deck as a nova bomb detonated in its cavernous   
depths setting off fuel and ammo in a blinding flash blasting it into dust. "What the frak?!" Jessa   
shouted as he searched for the bomb's launcher.   
  
Then he saw it. Their saviour was a single fighter; its design was…elegant if uninspired, painted   
pure white with a black stripe along the leading edges. The basic hull was similar to Arwings   
flown by the famous Star fox team but the wings were forward swept in an aggressive blade like   
arc that made it resemble some kind of flying dagger.   
  
The com-link in Jessa's helmet searched for the new comer's frequency. " Attention unidentified   
pilot, thank you, you saved our hi…"A young sounding male voice suddenly cut him off, "That's   
nice, now shut up and focus old timer because you still got two cruisers and a whole keg of   
fighters still to deal with," the reply snapped back.   
  
The stranger's voice was like his ship, elegant and cultured but strained with the rage that comes   
from having one's concentration broken whilst playing a carefully planed game of chess, it   
reminded Jessa of old holovids about the knights that once upheld the peace on Corneria   
hundreds of years ago.  
  
"Have your pilots continue to focus on the fighters leave the cruisers to me," The stranger said   
again, calmer this time, "Affirmative," Jessa replied.  
  
With the carrier gone the low performance invader class fighters were no mach for the sleek   
bulldogs. The dagger ship proved to be fast and agile as it looked, dodging and jinking past the   
laser blasts from the first cruiser's turrets as if it were simply dancing.   
  
Then the lethal looking craft lashed out with it's own guns positioned at the tip of each wing,   
slicing off each turret with such precession as to make Jessa think this ship really was some kind   
of blade, clearly this was the work of a seasoned master.   
  
Screaming just feet over the top of the cruiser's conning tower and then looping over to come at   
it again vertically the dagger ship fired its second nova bomb strait into the Cruisers Bridge,   
Vaporising the ships command and control systems.   
  
Jessa and his men cheered as they watched the big capital ship's power core over load and   
take it down in flames.   
  
With it's sister ship and the carrier they was assigned to protect both destroyed and half its   
turrets already blown off the remaining cruiser powered up its drives and ran.   
  
As the remainder of Jessa's squadron formed up and prepared to return to Corneria the strange   
dagger like ship formed up on Jessa's wing. For the first time he noticed an insignia on its side, a   
sword, a winged sword and below it the words: Angel of vengeance.  
  
"Who are you" Jessa asked looking over to the other ship he could see the mysterious pilot for   
the first time. He was a fox, definitely young, he couldn't have been older than twenty-three,   
twenty-five at the most, darkly handsome with short sleek black fur, a white muzzle and cold   
marble green eyes like two spheres of glowing green ice.   
  
Looking over himself and smiling a not entirely comforting smile, he answered " I am Cameron   
Winter and that is all you need to know for now, oh and be sure to inform Fox Mcloud," And   
with that he hit his after burners and vanished into the night.   
  
Oh flight leader Charles Jessa would inform Fox Mcloud, him and every one else in the Lylat   
system. There's a new player in town, a dark angel. A dark angel now stalks the stars.  
  
  
(Chapter 2)  
  
General Pepper stood in thought and looked out of his office window at the Corneria City   
skyline. The seemingly endless skyscrapers all shone silver in the summer sunlight.   
  
Three mysteries had presented them selves of late. The first was of pressing concern for the   
security of Corneria if not the whole Lylat system. The only reason that the enemy carrier group   
had been discovered before it had reached striking distance of Corneria its-self was that they   
had bumped into an errant fighter patrol. The second mystery had been that the patrol (Out   
gunned and out numbered) had been rescued from certain destruction by a single ultra high   
performance fighter, flown with all the skill and daring of some of the C.D.F greatest aces. The   
third mystery was the fighter's pilot or rather his parting words to the patrol leader.  
  
At that moment the com-panel on the wall behind the General began to chime. Turning and   
tapping a few keys on the keyboard on his desk, the old bloodhound activated the screen and   
was faced with the familiar features of Fox Mcloud.  
  
"Ah Fox, I see you got my message," The General said as if greeting a favourite nephew. "Yes   
sir and as requested this is a secure channel but if I may ask, Why all the secrecy?" Fox replied.   
  
"Fox, have you ever heard the name Cameron Winter before?" The General said in a more   
serious tone. "No sir, I can't say that I have," Fox returned. The General tapped a number of   
buttons on his keyboard and the gun camera footage of the dagger like fighter, as well as an   
enhanced image of the black fox pilot were displayed.   
  
"Forty-eight hours ago, one of our patrols into area-6, quadrant-C of the Cornirian asteroid belt   
was ambushed by a Venomian carrier group consisting of a Volga and two Azans. The carrier   
group was then itself ambushed by a single unidentified fighter of unknown design. After inflicting   
heavy losses on the carrier group and forcing its retreat, the pilot identified himself as Cameron   
Winter. I hardly think I need to tell you that I think this is more than a coincidence that this   
Winter fellow should help out our patrol," The General explained.  
  
"So you think this guy has some kind of agenda?" Fox asked. The General nodded "I do   
indeed. And what ever it is he has made it clear that it involves you personally," He said gravely.  
  
Tapping a few more keys he played the audio sample of the mystery pilots exchange with flight   
leader Jessa. "Oh and be sure to inform Fox Mcloud." The voice was calm, assured and it   
chilled Fox right to the bone.  
  
"Intelligence has yet to find out anything on this young man or what his intentions are but be   
careful all the same. He's already demonstrated that he is a formidable opponent," The General   
added. Fox nodded and thought for a moment. "Understood, Mcloud out."  
  
Aboard Great Fox the General's face was replaced with the insignia of the C.D.F. Fox the   
turned across the lounge to face Peppy and Fara who had been standing just out of view.   
  
"You heard the General, let's be careful out there. Peppy, have Slippy check and double check   
all the Arwings and prep them for launch at a moments notice and try to contact Kat and Bill,   
we may need some back up if this Winter guy turns out not to be friendly," He said.  
  
Peppy said nothing. He just nodded and turned to head to the bridge. There was a look on his   
face. "Peppy? Is there some thing wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost," Fara asked   
softly. Peppy just shook his head "No, its probably nothing but he reminds me of some one I   
used to know," He said tiredly.  
  
As Peppy left for the bridge, Fox felt a certain sense of déjà vu as well. Looking at the print out   
copy of the picture the General had sent them, he thought there was some thing familiar in that   
face.  
  
"Who are you?" He thought as he stared into the stars through the nearby porthole.  
  
  
(Chapter 3)  
  
  
The Angel's hull plates, still hot from re-entry, creaked as they contracted in Fortuna's cold   
atmosphere. Cameron's head was still heavy from being in soft-sleep for almost four days but   
was rapidly regaining his composure.  
  
The white tundra stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. The snow capped   
mountains and ice forests below flashed by as the Angel flew low like some great bird of prey.  
  
Setting the auto-nav to scan for a suitable landing site he was soon rewarded with a low chiming   
sound. The M.F.D on his right automatically displayed the co-ordinates and topographical   
layout of a medium sized settlement about fifty clicks north.  
  
Cameron throttled back as the settlement came into view. The town consisted of a series of   
interconnected complexes that resembled some sort of techno anthills as well as a small star   
port nearby.  
  
Coming around for a single low speed pass, Cameron was pleased to note the lack of a clarion   
call from the local police or customs office. The landing field itself was a reinforced concrete   
square about fifteen hundred meters along each edge. Most of the field was taken up by   
individual landing pads for small ships about the size of shuttles but most of these were taken up   
by a rather motley assortment of fighters. Further down the field were large hangers for   
freighters that were in all likelihood the life blood of a place this remote.  
  
All of this told the young black furred fox in the Angel's cockpit that this was the perfect place   
to lay low.  
  
Engaging the vertical thrusters, the Angel settled down gracefully onto one of the unoccupied   
landing pads, kicking up a mini- snowstorm as the landing legs extended and touched down.  
  
Powering down the engines and going through all the usual post-flight checks and procedures,   
Cameron popped the canopy and stood up, stretching and rubbing some of the blood flow   
back into his limbs. Sitting back down again for a moment, he programmed in the triple layered   
system encryption that made illegal access to the Angel's computer and flight systems nigh on   
impossible.  
  
Once this was done he vaulted out of the cockpit, landing on the fresh white snow, swishing his   
long, bushy tail from side to side to keep it warm and to help further return the blood flow to his   
legs.  
  
Despite the fact he had been virtually inert in a cramped cockpit for the last four days, his fit,   
well-toned body still felt strong and healthy.  
  
He was wearing a long black great coat with matching fatigues, a white T-shirt, black leather   
gloves and a pair of well polished, fine Vornskire hide jackboots.  
  
After limbering up for a few moments, Cameron removed one of his gloves and pressed his   
hand against the cold metal of a camouflaged palm-plate. Reading his palm-print, a hidden   
compartment under the Angel's port wing opened up.  
  
The compartment contained a veritable arsenal of weapons that included a whole catalogue of knives, a   
matched pair of blaster pistols; a gauss rifle fitted with a sniper scope and a variety of explosives.  
  
From this arsenal, Cameron selected the twin blasters, which he strapped to his belt at the back   
of his waist underneath his coat, a deadly looking combat dagger which he slipped into his right   
boot and a beautifully crafted katana.  
  
The katana (which was a family heirloom, passed down for more generations than Cameron   
cared to think about) had a pommel and hilt made of gold and the handle was made of ebony   
and engraved with the stylised image of a dragon. The scabbard was made of polished red-star   
wood and was also bound with gold at both ends, with a rope of braided gold thread for a   
strap.  
  
Slinging the sword onto his back he then activated the mag-seals on the cockpit to deter any   
potential ship thieves (as if the system lockouts weren't enough) and then closed up the   
weapons locker.  
  
Finally he activated the controls that closed up the clam shell ship covers on the landing pad. In   
harsh climates like Fortuna's, almost all landing facilities had thermally insulated protection   
systems to stop small ships from freezing up. Of course the Angel would easily withstand even   
the harshest sub-zero temperatures but this was more to ward of undue attention from the   
Angel's rather unique design.  
  
Once that was done Cameron made his way across the landing field towards the maglev train   
that provided access to the main part of the town. Already Cameron felt hungry and was getting   
a headache. This was normal after being in the cockpit for so long, his body was just readjusting   
to the local gravity and atmosphere.  
  
As he reached the train, Cameron noticed a large painted sign that read "Welcome to   
Freeholm," In bright but worn letters.   
  
As he boarded the maglev carriage, Cameron thought to himself "Well Freeholm, lets see what   
you got."   
  
  
  
  
  
(Chapter 4)  
  
Freeholm was a nice enough place. The outer domes were mostly taken up by residential   
complexes, whilst the central district was primarily a series of market places.  
  
Small shops and stalls sold just about every commodity imaginable. Regardless of whether or   
not it was legal.   
  
On a nearby table, a scrawny looking German Shepherd sold a whole variety of weapons from   
serrated combat knives to military grade assault rifles and even some light squad support   
weapons like pulse cannons and plasma chain guns.   
  
Making his way through the crowded, noisy streets, Cameron could easily pick out the various   
groups that made up the local population.  
  
Fortuna's inhabitants could generally be divided into four distinct categories. First there were the   
Cornirian military personnel, posted in greater numbers now since the planet was re-taken about   
a year ago. How ever they mostly stuck to their barracks due to the almost constant threat of   
attack by Venomian raiding forces.  
  
The second group was the hunters. Fortuna was home to some of the Lylat systems most   
vicious predators. The Fortunan ice wyvern, a lethal winged reptile almost fifty feet long with   
diamond-hard fangs and claws, was second in notoriety to the Titanian sand devil. But the   
rarest, most difficult to obtain commodities always command the highest price. The hide of one   
of these beasts could fetch anything up to ten thousand credits. The men and women who   
hunted the ice wyverns and other similarly deadly animals were almost as surly and dangerous   
as their prey. Some hailing from families that had live on Fortuna for generations.  
  
The third group was the prospectors. Although it had been proven that the Cornirian asteroid   
belt was a more profitable and convenient source of minerals, it had long been claimed that   
Fortuna was a treasure house of riches. But the rigors of mining such a harsh planet meant that   
no major corporate holdings had ever been set up. None the less with tales of those who had   
the tenacity to take what this freezing world had to dish out, being rewarded with massive   
strikes of gems and valuable metals like gold, silver or even tirbidium, there was still no shortage   
of freelance miners and treasure hunters, willing to take a chance at being richer than god.   
  
The fourth and final group was the broadest. It consisted of the rouges, thieves, traders,   
adventurers and wanderers. Young Cameron Winter fell into this category.  
  
Looking around it was easy to pick out the hunters, thick set and bedecked with pelts, fangs   
and bones, some of really quite impressive size. The traders in their refined and fashionable   
cloths were a stark contrast, half cringing from the huge trappers as they bartered for the days   
catch.  
  
The wanderers were easy enough to spot simply by how wildly varied they were. Bored sons of   
wealthy merchants rubbed shoulders with mercenaries and pirates.  
  
This was the sort of place Cameron liked. Despite the fact that Katina was the furthest   
Cornirian held planet; Fortuna because of its harsher climate was by far the more "frontier"   
world. As such law and order were far less formal here. Freeholm was by no means lawless but   
it was simply a case maintaining the peace rather than enforcing any written code of conduct.   
Said peace was upheld by a locally appointed official and his assistants I.E a sheriff and his   
deputies.   
  
As such certain rules were relaxed or in some cases weighed altogether. Such as for example,   
the public ownership and display of weapons. This was even to some extent actually   
encouraged. On frontier planets like this it was considered a status symbol to have a weapon, as   
it showed you were prepared to defend you home and property if you were forced to.  
  
The result being that so long as you had no intention of using it except in self-defence, it was   
perfectly okay to walk around armed.  
  
In fact, Freeholm's residents displayed a rather bewildering array of knives, blaster pistols. So   
the sight of a sword wielding young fox was nothing new. Indeed various types of swords and   
daggers were common enough accessories among the pirates and thieves who hid out here.  
  
Stopping at a food stall Cameron purchased a bowl of fried noodles with some unidentified   
meat. As soon as he had paid, Cameron wolfed it down in seconds. He hadn't eaten in almost a   
week and he wasn't going to waist time inquiring just what kind of local pest he was eating.  
  
Having eaten he set about finding some where to stay. Freeholm seemed like the perfect place   
to lay low for a while and he was quite sure that things were going just as they should.  
  
Meanwhile on the other side of the system, Fox stood on Great Fox's bridge, deep in thought.   
The same three questions had been on his mind ever since the General had informed them of   
Cameron's appearance.  
  
Who was he? Why was he here? And most of all, why did he seem so familiar?  
  
He had dismissed it at first but now Fox had to admit, there was a certain resemblance between   
them. Age difference and fur colour aside, the two of them could almost be brothers.   
  
But most of all it was those eyes. Those piercing green, eyes that looked like they could take in   
a whole galaxy in a glance. They were like some thing half-remembered but all the same so   
intensely familiar.  
  
At that moment, Falco interrupted Fox's reverie as he sprinted in from the com-room.   
Screeching to a halt he said, "Yo Fox, the General just called. He says that the Cornirian   
surveillance net just picked up a ship matching our new friend Cameron Winter's, entering   
Fortuna's atmosphere, about twenty minutes ago."  
  
A broad smile crossed Fox's face. "Bingo, this is just the break we need. Rob; lay in a course   
to Fortuna at maximum speed. Falco, tell Kat and Bill to meet us there," he said emphatically.   
"Got ya man," Falco replied as he headed back to the com-room.  
  
Rob didn't say anything but Fox could already feel the ship turn and the deck rumbled as the   
ship's drives powered up. "Soon," Fox thought, "Soon I'm going to get some answers."   
  
  
(Chapter 5)   
  
The next four days were uneventful. With the exception of one deputy giving Cameron a   
suspicious look things had gone fairly well. As it happened a local informed Cameron that this   
particular deputy gave this look to every one, so he shouldn't worry.  
  
On this particular evening, Cameron had decided to explore the local nightlife. Up till now he   
had just been laying low and was finding that he was getting very bored at night.  
  
Across the street from the rather run down hotel that he had been staying in, Cameron noticed a   
cantina and had decided to investigate. The sign above the door was painted in bright, colourful   
letters and read "Mama Belle's Kingston Kitchen." Even out in the noisy street Cameron could   
clearly hear the lilting, Reggae music being played inside.  
  
Striding through the door, Cameron was then hit by the strongest smell he had ever   
encountered. Not a bad smell per-say, just overpoweringly strong. It bypassed his nose, shot   
strait up his olfactory nerve and hit his brain like an electric shock. Even under his long coat his   
tail stood out strait like a bottle brush and all his fur fluffed up as if he was cold.   
  
The barkeeper, who was a large friendly looking cat lady in her late forties, with grey fur and   
dreadlocks, noticed this. "I see you been noticin Mama's special winta warma. Only tirty   
chinyen," she said with a warm Jamaican accent.  
  
As mind pummelling as the smell was, Cameron had to admit that his sense of curiosity (not to   
mention adventure) had been piqued. Pulling up a stool at the bar he said "Ah, Mama Belle I   
assume, well I think I will try the special," his clear English accent, tempered with a somewhat   
friendlier tone than normal.  
  
"Hmmm, looks like we be avin a real gentalman in the de old place tonight, fix ya right up me   
darlin," Mama replied and then danced off to the kitchen. When she returned she placed a bowl   
containing a generous portion of a meat stew of some description on the bar in front of   
Cameron. "Eat up, Mama's got plenty more," she said and then turned to serve another   
customer.  
  
Cameron examined the contents of the bowl in front of him. The first thought that crossed his   
mind was "Is it me, or is this stuff changing colour?" Indeed the stew seemed to start out a dark   
red, then change to a sort of orange and then a dark yellowy.   
  
He finally decided that it was just the lights. Dipping his spoon in he thought for a moment that   
the stuff seemed the fizzle but brushed that thought aside as he tasted it.  
  
He then stood up, blinked twice, moved a table that was behind him out the way and then   
keeled over onto his face with a loud thud. The last thing Cameron heard before every thing   
went black was Mama Belle's voice, somewhat more concerned this time "Oh man, me thought   
that I be puttin too much fire-spice in de stew today."  
  
When the young fox began to regain consciousness he felt like some one had just run about fifty   
thousand volts through his body. His head hurt, none of his limbs worked yet and his eyes took   
a moment or two to clear.  
  
But what he saw was worth waiting for. Kneeling over him was the most beautiful girl young   
Cameron Winter had ever seen in his entire life.  
  
She was a wolf roughly his height, with soft light grey fur, long dark hair and a white stripe   
running up her head between her shining ice blue eyes.  
  
Thinking fast he said "Wow, I must be dead and you must be an angel." Or at least that's what   
he would have said if his vocal chords had been working yet. What came out was a sort of   
strangled moan, like some one dying of a heart attack.   
  
The wolf girl's eyes bulged as she banged both fists down onto Cameron's chest to try and   
restart his heart (which was already beating) saying "Oh no, oh no, breath dammit, don't you   
dare die," her voice had a musical, contralto tone but was at this point somewhat flustered.  
  
Fortunately Cameron's voice box decided to start working again. "Um, you can stop trying to   
save my life now," said weakly, his voice still some where in between his normal, cultured   
English accent and that of some one following a car accident.  
  
Relieved the lovely wolf exhaled and smiled warmly down at him. It was a smile that Cameron   
was hoping to see much more of.  
  
To be continued…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. A Knight On The Town

Dark Angel (Part 2)  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
  
Despite having rendered him unconscious Cameron had to admit Mama Bella's special   
stew did exactly as it was advertised. Putting a spring in his step was some thing of an   
under statement to say the least.   
  
Every movement of his body seemed to require absolutely no effort at all as if he were in   
zero gravity. And there was also the fact that his brain appeared to be processing all his   
thoughts at triple the normal rate. In fact it seemed like his entire body was completely   
super charged.  
  
The second part of her sales pitch, the part about the girls being all over him, well it   
appeared that that was also true. The beautiful wolf girl who had been there when he   
regained consciousness on the cantina floor not more than ten minutes ago now sat with   
him at a table over by the back wall of the cantina as they enjoyed drinks and pleasant   
conversation.  
  
She was about the same height as Cameron and maybe a year or two older than him   
(given that he was only twenty five that was still pretty young) with soft greyish brown   
fur and long dark brown hair about shoulder length tied back into a pony tail. She had a   
black stripe running from her nose up head between her crystal clear blue eyes that ran up   
under her hair.   
  
As they had walked over to the table from the spot where Cameron had collapsed he had   
noticed that the stripe ran right down her back to the end of her tail. She was wearing a   
pair of tight fitting blue jeans that showed off the obviously excellent shape she was in, a   
pair of calf length black leather boots that were the common style among traders and   
freighter captains that were the cantina's main source of income. She was also wearing a   
black crop top and a red jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow.   
  
Strapped to her right fore arm was a small light blaster pistol about half the size of those used by the   
Cornerian military. From these clues Cameron had deduced that she was definitely not local. That at   
least they had in common.  
  
"So tell me about your self, I mean it's probably not every day you try to save the life of   
every fox that collapse's in a bar," he said in a somewhat lighter tone than normal.  
  
Most of the time when he spoke Cameron used a somewhat cold, emotionless tone of   
voice that combined with his cultured English accent was intended to intimidate the   
listener. On this occasion how ever he wasn't trying to intimidate any one, quite the   
opposite in fact. To the lovely lady across the table from him he spoke in a warmer,   
friendlier tone but still retained his cultured English accent.  
  
"Well It is some what unusual for me to some thing like that but then again given the way   
you keeled over like that I was concerned that you'd had a stroke or some thing," she said   
in her warm contralto voice.   
  
To young Cameron Winter that voice was like listening to the vocal equivalent of the sun   
coming out from behind a dark cloud. "As to the subject of my self, my name is Angela,   
Angela O'donnel and I'm a freelance trader running between here and the surrounding   
systems".   
It was just as Cameron had figured. That explained the cloths and the blaster. "Really,   
what cargo are you hauling at the moment," Cameron said in a genuinely interested tone.   
  
"I'm currently making a delivery of stott spice from the Deneb system to Corneria, but   
enough about me what about the handsome young man across from me?" she said with a   
wicked smile on her lips.  
  
"Well not much to tell really my name is Cameron Winter and I'm a mercenary by trade   
or at least that's what my resume says I am officially, I'm not really sure what you could   
call me. I guess I'm what you could call a T.S.W." he said matter of factly. "A T.S.W?   
What's that?" she asked with a confused look on her face.   
  
"Thief, spy, what ever, generally I get hired when some one wants some thing done   
quietly but doesn't want to use their own forces to do it for one reason or another," he   
explained.   
  
"OH, does it pay well?" she asked. "Most of the time yeah, mostly big corporations who   
want to engage in a little industrial espionage but don't want to get caught, this way I'm   
the only one taking any risks and if I get busted they can claim deniability," He explained   
again. "Hmm so what brings you to the Lylat system Mr.Spy to the stars," she said in a   
slightly lighter tone again. "Well I'm here on personal business," he said retrieving a   
small holographic projector from the voluminous folds of his long black coat.  
  
"I'm looking for an old friend of my father's," he said as he activated it and it displayed   
the image of three men sitting together with copious amounts of drink, celebrating some   
thing or other.  
  
The man on the left was a solidly built fox with black fur and deep brown eyes. He was   
wearing a leather jacket and a red T-shirt that read "Don Choo Know I'm Loco," in big   
white letters. He had the roguish look of a pirate gone strait. The only thing he had in   
common with Cameron was his fur and the sword on his back that was identical to the   
one Cameron had.  
  
Next to him was a rabbit in his mid thirties, fairly well built and wearing a long grey coat   
with a red flight suit under it. In contrast to the first man, this one had a look of good-  
natured wisdom. Some one to depended on.  
  
The third man in the picture was another fox in his late twenties, wearing a green flight   
suit and a grey jacket similar to the rabbit's coat. He had dark reddish fur and a Wight   
muzzle, but you couldn't see his eyes because of the dark shades he wore.  
  
"I never really knew my father all that well. He died when I was quite young. So when I   
heard that his friend's mercenary fighter wing was operating in this system I decided to   
see if I could find any thing out about him," Cameron knew this was only a half-truth but   
then a half-truth is better than a lie.   
  
"Oh, oh I'm sorry if I brought up a sensitive subject," she apologised.  
  
"That's okay, this has really been more of a history lesson for me than anything else has,"   
He said reassuringly.  
  
At that moment Mama Belle the cantina's owner came over with another round of   
drinks. "Evryting being alright ova here me fine young vulpine friend," she said in her   
happy Rastafarian accent.  
Since it had been her cooking that had caused Cameron's collapse earlier she thought it   
only fair for tonight's drinks to be on the house, particularly now he had company.   
  
"Oh we are just fine here thanks," Cameron said appreciatively.  
  
Most other bar owners in this sort of situation would have simply relieved him of all his   
valuables and dumped him out back in an ally, but then Mama's was not your typical bar.   
  
As Mama returned to the bar to serve some more customers Cameron turned back to   
Angela and said "I think I've found my new favourite bar".  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
  
The Star Fox team had reconvened in the briefing room as Great Fox approached   
Fortuna's orbit. Each sat around a large table with a holographic display unit in the   
centre. The only one not present was Fara who was still on the bridge keeping watch.  
  
Fox was the first to speak "Okay guys our e.t.a at Fortuna is only eight hours, how are   
we doing on those preparations?" he asked in a serious tone.  
  
Slippy, who was sat on Fox's left spoke next in his usual girlish tone "All four Arwings   
are prepped, primed and ready to kick some ass Fox," he said with more than a little   
pride.   
  
Falco was the next to speak " I just got off the comm to Katt and Bill, Katt says her e.t.a.   
to hook up with us is in about twenty minutes. Bill how ever was held up and won't reach   
us for at least an hour after we reach Fortuna," he said with an air of attempted efficiency.  
  
Lastly it came to Peppy's turn to speak. Sat across from Fox he had the "I'm getting too   
old for this shi*," look on his face. When he finally spoke his drawling southern accent   
just seemed to accentuate this.   
  
" I must be going senile in my old age, I should have figured this out as soon as I saw   
those pictures the general sent us." He said shaking his head as he spoke.   
  
" Cameron Winter is the son of Connor Winter a former member of this team from before   
Pigma joined. Back when the team was first formed twenty years ago it was just him, me   
and your father, Fox," he said as recalled the oldest memories of the team's history.   
  
"Back then we were just a rookie merc outfit taking the jobs no one else wanted to do   
because they were either too dangerous or just didn't pay well enough. We had no major   
credentials, no financial backing and we didn't even had decent ships. But all the same   
we flew like demons, we always got the job done and we always stuck together. And that   
was how Connor Winter died," he said gravely as he thought of the death of a good   
friend.  
  
" We had been hired to support the local government in the Delta Serpentis system in   
their campaign against a group of space pirates who had been raiding the system for   
years. In the closing months of the campaign Connor and your father were asked to do a   
scout run of a remote area of the system where it was suspected that the pirates had a   
base. I was grounded due to broken arm I picked up on our last op. Two fighters left, only   
one came back. When your father's ship came limping back, shot up and barely flying I   
knew instantly some thing had gone very wrong. But he wouldn't tell me what had   
happened when he hit the flight deck carrying Connor's sword, except that Connor had   
given his life to save him. Your father refused to say what happened out there and we   
couldn't check his flight recorder because he had ejected it some where on the flight back   
to the carrier. Right up till your father's death he never said what had happened out there   
that day or why he ejected his black box. All I know is the son has followed in the foot   
steps of the father and he is waiting for us on that planet," said as he retold the tale of a   
twenty-year-old mystery.  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
It was well into the evening and Cameron and Angela had gone through a fair amount of   
drinks and their topic of conversation had wandered to every thing from the virtues of   
different makes of blaster to the artistic works of the great masters.  
  
It seemed that this had been a perfect night out for Cameron so far. Not only had he   
discovered his new favourite bar in the galaxy but he had also just found in that same bar   
the girl of his dreams.   
  
Well not literally, the girls in his dreams often seemed to have dark green hair in odd   
styles and posses weird magical powers and generally tended to wear sailor out fits with   
overly long transformation sequences.   
  
But that said she did seem to be some thing he would have imagined the love of his life   
would have been like. She was intelligent, independent, caring of those around her and   
damn she was beautiful.  
  
He was about to strike up another conversation when the cantina door burst open (or   
rather was smashed open taking it half way off its hinges) and a massive burly figure   
stepped in.  
  
The huge figure was a bulldog with massive muscles and a winding tattoo on his neck.   
He was dressed rather typically of the hunters who trapped this inhospitable planets   
native predators with thick legging made of some course material, heavy looking hob nail   
boots and a vest that barely covered his monolithic torso.   
  
With a brace of assorted fangs crossing his barrel chest and a hunting knife that most   
would be hard pressed to even lift at his belt it was clear that this was some one to avoid.  
  
The slab like hunter's boulder like head seemed incapable of moving on his neck (if he   
had a neck) so his whole body moved as he glared about the bar. He seemed to be looking   
for some one.   
  
Then somewhat to Cameron's surprise and discomfort he stopped and focused on their   
table. He could almost feel the ground shake as the gigantic bulldog stomped towards him   
and Angela.  
  
"O'donnel ya low down, stinkin, trade rat, ah don't stand for bein cheated by any one,"   
the great walking mountain bellowed in a low seismic voice that was more like an   
earthquake than some one speaking. "Um hi Sly, how business," Angela said in   
somewhat worried tone as her eyes widened at the approach of the hulking hunter.   
  
  
"Don't gimme that crap trade rat, you owe me money," he continued to bellow.   
"Look I already paid you sly, I told you I'd get you the best price for those vornskire   
hides but I've got a ship to maintain and parts aren't cheap," she said trying in vain to   
calm possibly the angriest man Cameron had ever seen.  
  
"Well you ain't gonna need no ship, cause I'm gonna snap you up like a twig just like any   
other little trade rat that cheats Sly Strazinscky," the huge trapper said with a slight grin   
on his face.  
  
Standing Cameron turned towards livid bull dog and spoke again with his intimidating,   
emotionless tone of voice "Why don't you back off, go to the bar, get a drink and calm   
down."   
  
"An what if I don't, you gimme that purdy sword of yours and I might not squish ya like   
a little bug," Sly chuckled with obvious amusement at the young fox whom he towered   
over.   
  
When Cameron replied he didn't even change his tone of voice "Well I have a better deal,   
how about I give you the finger," he said raising his right hand in the universal symbol of   
vulgarity "And you bugger off before I kick your arse from here to Katina," he said   
calmly.   
  
Still highly amused by young man in front of him but still getting very angry Sly glared   
down at Cameron and said "Oh, I'm sooo scared, I'm quakin in ma boots," he said   
sarcastically.  
  
  
Thinking about this Cameron finally replied "Actually I was thinking about snapping   
your right arm at the elbow, cracking at least three ribs and possibly knocking out a   
couple of teeth."   
  
For Sly that was it. His battering ram like right arm lashed out towards Cameron with a   
speed that belayed its owner's immense size. Cameron how ever had seen this one   
coming.   
  
A deft dodge to the left and he caught the mighty appendage with his right hand and   
swiftly brought down his left elbow onto the joint putting it at a very wrong angle with a   
sickening crunch. Even as Sly howled in pain Cameron spun inwards putting his back   
against Sly's huge torso slamming his right elbow into his ribs with another equally   
sickening crunch.   
  
Then he planted his fist into the bulldog's face in a backhand strike to the jaw sending   
Sly's upper left fang flying out into some bodies drink on the other side of the bar.   
  
Finally Cameron leapt up in a flying spin kick that brought his jack booted right leg in a   
scything arc that connected with the burly hunters head like a sledgehammer.   
  
The impact sent Sly spinning twice in mid air before landing on his face on the cantina   
floor in a manor similar to how Cameron had earlier.   
  
Striding over to the bar and depositing a hefty amount of cash he turned to Mama the   
bar's owner and said "sorry about the door and the mess," nodding towards the broken,   
unconscious bull dog.   
Heading back over to the table where Angela was still sat admiring his skill he said   
"Sorry, the urge to Wight knight was just to great to resist, beside I needed the exercise."   
Smiling back at him she said "You want to go some where else?."   
Cameron nodded.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
  
Back on Great Fox, Fox stood at the end of the holographic blaster range looking down   
the sights of his pistol again deep in thought. Delta Serpentis was a remote system on the   
edge of known space. Located inside a nebula it was barely inhabited.   
  
The local government was little more than a consortium of mining corporations who had   
joined forces to harvest the nebula for valuable types of gas like deuterium and radon that   
were used as fuel for large star ships like Great Fox.   
  
The system couldn't have had more than a few thousand inhabitants at any one time. No   
pirates would have had a base there. There were systems far closer to the shipping lanes   
and far more profitable than Delta Serpentis.  
  
And so the big question came just at the same time as his target. He asked it to himself at   
the same time as he pulled his trigger and killed an old stock footage image of Pigma   
Dengar "What were Connor Winter and my father really sent out to find that day."  
  
He had been shooting like this for almost an hour since the revelation of Cameron's   
origins from Peppy in the briefing room. Checking the counter next to the ally showed he   
had scored another perfect one hundred percent accuracy again.   
  
Same as always when he used the Pigma target. As his father's betrayer Pigma was   
possibly the one person in the galaxy whom fox truly hated. He hated Pigma with every   
breath in his body.   
  
Spinning his gun around his hand as he always did when he was on good form he turned   
to leave just in time to see Peppy coming in.  
  
"I guess I should have seen the family resemblance when the general sent us those   
pictures. Call me a senile old idiot but I didn't even know Connor had a son. Hell I didn't   
know he had any family period. Some pal of his I turned out to be," he said holding his   
hand behind his back as he did when Fox came to him for advice.   
  
But this time it was different. Now things were reversed. "You shouldn't blame your self   
Peppy, you couldn't have known he had a son," Fox said trying to reassure the man who   
had been his fathers best friend and had looked after him after James Mcloud's death at   
the hands of Andross years before.   
  
"Yeah, but there was always some thing that bothered me. After the Delta Serpentis   
campaign your dad booked passage on a star liner to the Lacoda system alone. All he   
took with him was Connor's sword. He said some thing about keeping a promise to a   
friend. He met up with me six months later on Jaconda in the Tallson system with out the   
sword but with your mother. You were born the year after here in Lylat. I always   
wondered why he took the sword to Lacoda but now I think I know now. I didn't know   
Connor had a son, but James did. Now I watched the battle footage from the asteroid   
engagement near Corneria and I recognised the flying style. It's nearly identical to   
Connor's. I don't know yet what it means but I when I do I think it should clear up at   
least one mystery," he said, almost going glassy eyed as he thought back to another of his   
oldest memories.   
  
Moments passed until Katt came in with a long rifle in hand. "Hi, I hope you don't mind I   
just have to calibrate the scope on my little old hand cannon here," she said in here   
flirtatious Dixie accent. Nodding side ways and giving her a slight smile Fox stepped   
aside and left with Peppy for the bridge.   
  
As they strode together down the corridor Fox turned to Peppy and said "Theirs just one   
more thing from that story I need to ask you Pep," Looking over to his second in   
command. "What is it Fox," Peppy said slightly puzzled. "What was my mother like?" he   
asked, a question he had almost forgotten since his father died.   
  
"She was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. And your father loved her more than life   
it's self. When she died you were the only thing that kept him alive".  
The two of them both smiled and continued on to the bridge.  
  
  
Chapter 10  
  
It had been a long night for both Cameron and Angela. In the eight or nine hours that had   
passed since leaving Sly on the floor at Mama's they had visited at least fifteen cantinas,   
twelve bars, three gambling pits and a cage fight where Cameron had picked up about   
three thousand credits and the admiration of a bunch of drunken old geezers.   
  
Now the two of them strolled along one of Freeholm's upper walkways. The hardened   
leather soles of Cameron's jackboots made an audible click on the concrete floor, even   
over the noise of the street.   
  
Out a near by window Cameron noticed the sun rising. The golden rays of the Lylats   
systems star piercing the frozen mist around the towns dome was enough to make both of   
them stand in open mouthed awe.   
  
As the sun rose in the sky Angela turned to Cameron whose fur seemed to shimmer in the   
light. "This is the perfect end to wonderful first date," she said sighed, sounding slightly   
spaced out.  
  
It took a moment or two for the last part of her sentence to sink into Cameron's rather   
mutually spaced out brain.   
  
"Date? You just found me on the floor at Mama's a few hours ago. How could this be a   
date?" he asked in a very confused tone.  
  
"Well we had such a great time. I mean the dinner, the dancing, the way you hurt that   
guy," Angela replied as she explained to the handsome fox her definition of a date.  
  
"And also when was the last time a man defended at girls honour and beat some body up   
in a bar for a good reason?" she asked to further make her case.  
  
"Well I have to admit that Sly was an idiot and that pummelling him into the floor was   
fun," Cameron said doing a roundhouse kick to accentuate his point.  
  
"Well there is one way to tell if this is a date or not," Angela said, the evil smile crossing   
her features again.  
  
"Oh yeah? How?" Cameron asked, one ear flicking up.  
At the instant he asked that Angela grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, pushed him   
against the wall and kissed him. Hard.  
  
For a moment Cameron thought that this was going to be a repeat of the incident with the   
stew earlier. As soon as she let him go Cameron summoned up all his will power and   
fought to stay standing AND retain the power of speech. Looking up and thinking for a   
moment Cameron finally looked back at the lovely wolf who still had her arms round his   
neck and said "Yep. I'd say this was a date."  
  
"So you feel like going some where more discrete and continuing?" She said, that wicked   
grin of hers still hadn't left her beautiful face. Grinning insanely Cameron simply replied   
"By all means, lets."  
  
Leading him by the lapels of his coat Angela dragged the young fox adventurer down the   
street as if in a trance. Looking around she was gratified to see more than a few jealous   
faces.  
  
Unfortunately before they could get more than thirty feet a bleeping sound began to emit   
from some where inside Cameron's coat instantly breaking the spell Angela's kiss had   
him under. Retrieving a small data pad from an internal pocket of his coat, he scanned the   
digital read out at the top.   
  
Then he balled up his fist and yanked it back in a display of victory as his ears pricked up   
and his tail whipped from side to side as it did when he was excited (or pissed off).   
  
"YES. He's taken the bait," He said in a tone that confirmed that he was definitely stoked   
up by what he read on the screen.  
  
"Who's taken what bait?" Angela asked confused and more than a little peeved.  
  
"First rule of bounty hunting: If you're looking for some one, Don't bother, have them   
come to you instead. This tells me that a particular ship just entered orbit. So that means   
it's time for me to go introduce my self properly," he answered explaining his actions but   
still not giving any thing away.  
  
"Great. I meet a charming, handsome, polite and intelligent guy who can fight like a   
Firedrake in the mating season and still understand classical music and he has to leave on   
business as soon as I get his attention," Angela said annoyed.   
  
"I don't know. I guess you could tag along. I'm sure these guys would love to meet Wolf   
O'donnel's sister," Cameron replied in the slightly calmer tone.  
  
Surprise and amazement now spread across Angela's face. "How did you know that? I   
mean what are a telepath or some thing?" She stammered.  
  
"No I just do my home work when I head for a new system. Particularly on subjects that   
may affect my health like say the presence of the Star Wolf team in this system. I studied   
each member and their background so I would know how to handle them if I had to," he   
explained, demonstrating how seriously he took his job.   
  
"Now although I didn't know for certain that Wolf had any living relatives, it was   
rumoured that some members of his family were still alive. So given the strong   
resemblance and the fact you share the same surname it seemed logical to me at least that   
you were at some relative of his," He said in an analytical manor.  
"Hmmm. So what else have you deduced Mr. Homes?" She chuckled, the sly and ever   
slightly evil grin returning to her lips.  
  
"Well not much actually. I was working on finding some other things in particular back at   
your place when the bloody beeper went off," Cameron replied an equally evil smile   
crossing his face.  
  
"Well I never. Just for that I will be coming with you to meet this guy," Angela said in   
mock offence.   
  
"We just need to stop by my hotel room to pick up some stuff and then we can go,"   
Cameron said calming down somewhat.  
  
Angela just looked at him and said "Fine, but normally it would be my place."  
With that she turned and walked off towards the hotel Cameron had been staying in. She   
walked with a deliberately exaggerated stride that made her backside swing in a manor   
that Marilyn Monroe would have been proud of.  
  
Cameron just stared for a moment wide eyed and open mouthed for several seconds   
before he finally headed off after her. "Yep! She is definitely Wolf O'donnel's sister," He   
thought.   
  
Looking out the window he stared out at the quickly fading stars and picked one out he   
was sure was Great Fox. "See you real soon," He said in the cold, emotionless tone.   
  
  
To be continued….   
  
  
  
  



	3. A Mysrery And A Mission

Dark Angel (Part 3)  
  
Chapter 11  
  
The sun was already high in the sky over Fortuna but it was still bitterly cold. Fortuna   
had a faster rotation than any other planet in the Lylat system and so dusk and dawn   
passed much quicker. As such the morning air had not had a chance to heat up yet.   
  
If he noticed the cold Cameron didn't show it as he strode purposefully towards the   
landing pad where the Angel was locked down. His long black coat swirled around him,   
blowing in the wind like a pair of great black wings.   
  
Angela the lovely wolf whom he had met at Mama Bella's cantina the night before did   
show that she felt the cold.  
  
"Why oh why did I have to agree to come with this guy?" She asked herself as her teeth   
chattered. "Because you said you wanted to meet the guy I was waiting for," Cameron   
returned with out even turning round.  
  
The two of them reached the pad. A thick lair of frost covered the thermally insulated   
dome that protected the ship underneath from the harsh climate. Brushing the snow from   
the control panel with one black leather gloved hand in a single elegant movement, he   
opened the dome revealing the aggressive, blade like shape of his fighter the Angel of   
Vengeance.   
  
The Angel was like the Arwings that Star Fox used except that its fuselage was almost   
half again as long and the wings were forward swept. The twin mass driver cannons slung   
under the wing tips, shone menacingly in the morning sunshine.   
  
Upon seeing the Angel, Angela gasped like a lust struck teen faced with her favourite   
movie star. "Ooh… nice hard ware. This thing must be a real eye-catcher at the spy of the   
year show," she breathed. "Yep and she's got one kick ass sound system too," Cameron   
replied.  
  
Jumping up onto the wing Cameron set about releasing the mag-seals that kept would be   
fighter jocks out of the cockpit. Once the cockpit was unsealed he jumped down and   
opened up the hidden compartment that served as a weapons locker and stowed his   
blaster pistol. Keeping the sword on his back he jumped strait into the cockpit. Looking   
down to the ground he noticed Angela still standing on the snow next to the wing.   
  
"Hey, you coming or what. The sooner you're in that back seat the sooner I can close up   
the canopy and turn on the heater," He said gesturing to the co-pilots seat behind him.  
  
Angela didn't need telling twice. As soon as the words left his mouth she had already   
jumped onto the wing and vaulted into the seat. As the canopy hissed shut Cameron had   
already begun his pre-flight procedures. As the ships systems came online he checked off   
each system to the whine of the engines powering up.  
  
"Okay lets see. Nav-systems online, Life support standing by, weapons five by five, fuel   
check green, turbines to speed, atomic batteries to power," He said in a calm tone. Finally   
he reached for a large wallet and selected a disk.   
  
Spinning it on the end of his index finger he slotted it into the CD player on the main   
control panel in front of him. Seconds later the thumping beats of his favourite band,   
Sharon Apple started blasting out of the speakers on either side of the pilot's seat. "And   
music to fly recklessly by," He shouted.  
  
With that Cameron yanked the vertical thrust control right back and the Angel leapt off   
the pad. Pointing the nose skyward he switched the forward thrust and was pushed back   
into the seat as he kicked in the after burners, just as the lyrics to "Information High"   
started.  
  
Both Cameron and Angela shouted out loud in sheer enjoyment of flying fast. In a matter   
of seconds they blasted past the clouds and up through the upper atmosphere. Looking   
out the canopy and noticing the sky going darker and darker as they climbed Angela   
realised they had already reached the stratosphere.   
  
"Surface to atmospheric ceiling in only six point two seconds? Baby this girl's more than   
just a pretty face. Turning round in his seat Cameron looked at her with more than a little   
pride on his face. "Sound familiar," He said grinning devilishly. Angela blushed slightly.  
  
Soon the stars were visible. They had reached orbit. Soon the young fox's face took on a   
somewhat more serious look. Levelling out Cameron tapped a few keys on the keypad by   
his left hand just below the throttle. Hearing a high-pitched whistling tone Angela looked   
out the canopy window again to see the wing appear to fade out of view until only the   
outline was visible.   
  
As if sensing her next question Cameron spoke in the same calm tone he had done the   
pre-flight check in. "The Angel is equipped with an active stealth device that not only   
masks it from sensors, but also bends light around the hull surface rendering it virtually   
invisible."   
  
"Like I said, this must be a real eye-catcher at the spy of the year show," Angela said   
giving him a sideways smile as she continued to stare out of the canopy. "It's not perfect   
though. You can still see some distortion so if you're target is quick off the mark and   
knows what to look for he may notice you," Cameron noted rather seriously.  
  
"And lemme guess, you can't fire whilst cloaked," Angela added citing the old cliché   
about such devices.   
  
"Hell no I can fire whilst cloaked, but I can't hit any thing worth a damn because the light   
distortion field disrupts the targeting matrix," Cameron replied matter of factly.  
  
Settling back in his seat Cameron continued to tap keys. Soon the computer's cool,   
electronic, female voice cut through the calmer tones of "Midnight" (Cameron's   
favourite song). "Computer voice command system active."  
  
Smiling slightly Cameron placed his hand back on the throttle control. "Computer,   
activate long range tracking systems and pin point the position of Archam industries   
Hunter class strike carrier designated Great fox. Also calculate firing solutions and   
weapon calibration factors to disable target," He said calm and assured.  
  
Quickly Angela clocked in on the name of the target. "Great Fox? You're looking for   
some one on the Star Fox team?" She said in surprise.   
  
"Yeah like I said, they'd love to meet you," Cameron said grinning evilly.   
  
"It's in what capacity they want to meet me that's what worries me," She said in a   
genuinely concerned tone.   
  
Cameron just smiled and shook his head "I doubt these guys are as observant as I am. If   
worst comes to worst then there's always plan B." "Plan B?" Angela asked.   
  
As if to answer that question the Angel's computer chipped in again. "Firing solution   
calibrated. You may fire when ready."   
  
"You're going to try and shoot them down?" Angela exclaimed in even greater surprise.   
  
Cameron simply shook his head and said, "No, just disable them. Great Fox has a major   
power conduit running just under the hull skin below the upper port wing. A hit there will   
knock out their weapons and main drives leaving them dead in space."   
  
"And what if you miss?" Angela inquired. "I don't miss," He replied casually. "That's   
pretty over-confident of you Cameron," Angela said with more than a little annoyance.   
  
"Not really. The Angel has a highly sophisticated targeting system that combines active   
scanning with intelligence data to zero in on targets weak points. Also the guns are set on   
multidirectional gimbals that allow them to track their target. So you see 90% of the time   
I don't miss," Cameron explained with more than a little pride in the Angel's abilities.   
"Besides it shouldn't really come to that. I think I could get us in there without firing a   
single shot," He said confidently.  
  
The Ship's computer chimed in again "Target located E.T.A five minutes." "Has the   
target detected us?" Cameron asked calmly.   
  
"Negative, target has not engaged active tracking, however a single Bulldog class fighter   
has been detected on an intercept course to the target," The electronic female voice   
replied.   
  
"Perfect! We can move in as he docks. Fasten your seat belt Angela, this is where it gets   
interesting," He said, the evil grin having returned to his face.  
  
  
Chapter 12  
  
The Star Fox team had gathered the flight deck on Great Fox to welcome Bill aboard. Fox   
had been looking forward to seeing his old best friend again. From the launch control   
room that over looked the fighter bay he watched as the sleek Bulldog fighter ship   
gracefully touched down. As the bay re-pressurised a mist formed as the water vapour   
from the environmental systems condensed in the cold air.   
  
Maybe if he hadn't turned away from the glass-steel window so soon he might have made   
out a second, dagger like shape disturbing the mist.  
  
Striding towards the bay door with Falco and Fara next to him he was soon joined by   
Peppy and Slippy. Kat had remained on the bridge.   
  
Despite their common friendship with Fox there had always been little love lost between   
Kat and Bill. Bill's clean cut, strait and narrow, military approach to life had never really   
gelled with the whimsical, carefree Kat Monroe.  
  
As the heavy bulkhead slid up, the slightly higher air pressure inside the bay caused the   
mist to billow out into the corridor. Stood in the midst of the swirling fog was the half-  
obscured form of Commander Bill Grey.   
  
The grey and green flight suit and helmet of the Cornerian defence forces made his   
stocky frame appear shadowy in the dimness of the flight deck.   
  
"Bill, it's great to see ya man," Fox said enthusiastically, as he strode up to meet his   
former classmate.   
  
It was then that he noticed the gleam of light on metal. Through the gloom of the foggy   
launch bay he could make out four feet of shining steel blade held against his old friend's   
neck.  
  
He could also make out the shape of the person holding the sword. Casually hold the   
katana at arms length with the point against Bill's jugular was a tall dark figure whose   
eyes glowed in the darkness as the light from the main corridor reflected on them.   
  
"I suggest you and your team mates remove the power packs from you're pistols and   
throw them over here," The figure ordered, cold and calm. Despite being a good five feet   
from Bill, some thing about the stranger made Fox feel that any wrong move would be   
fatal. To all concerned.  
  
The fog started to clear as the bay heated up and the condensation evaporated. Soon the   
mist pulled back to reveal the darkly handsome features of a tall fox with black fur and   
green eyes.   
  
His ears were held back threateningly against his skull and his tail whipped from side to   
side. "Cameron Winter I presume," Fox said trying to remain calm.  
  
"The power packs? Now if you please?" He replied, even colder this time.  
  
Seeing no other way out Fox reached slowly and carefully for his blaster. Holding the   
weapon up so Cameron could see it, he released the catch and let the energy clip fall out   
of the handgrip and clatter on the deck. Kicking it over towards the sword-wielding fox   
he nodded to the others to do the same. Following their leader's example Peppy and   
Slippy disarmed their guns the same way Fox had.  
  
Falco, reckless as ever, instead tried to draw his gun in attack. However before the   
blaster's firing chamber had a chance to warm up, Cameron flew across the twenty feet or   
so between him and Falco. Holding the sword in both hands Cameron brought the blade   
scything down slicing Falco's blaster neatly in half. Stunned by the swords sharpness to   
have cut through the metal gun he was then literally stunned as Cameron brought the   
sword's pommel down on top of his head in another two handed strike that knocked him   
to the floor laying him out cold.   
  
Seeing this as his chance Bill charged as he tried to tackle the one who had just used him   
as a hostage. Instead he was rewarded with a jackboot in the face that also knocked him   
out cold as he was sent flipping backwards to land flat on his face, his head lolling and   
blood trickling from his mouth.  
  
Fara made for one of the guns that the others had dropped. As she stood, Cameron's free   
hand shot underneath the back of his coat. Pulling out one of his blasters, he jammed it   
against Fara's head before she could even replace the guns clip. The high pitched whine   
of the firing chamber on Cameron's pistol made Fox's heart miss a beat.   
  
Cameron then turned back to Fox. "Well if we are done with this little show of   
pointlessness, I'm sure we can get down to business," he said, completely unfazed by the   
violence that had just erupted. Then to Fox's surprise Cameron spun his sword once and   
then sheathed it on his back, then doing the same with the blaster he had held to Fara's   
temple.  
  
Noticing the look of confusion on Fox's face Cameron spoke again in a slightly warmer   
tone "If I wanted to kill any of you then you and you're team mates would have been dust   
and ice crystals by now," he said in a reassuring tone.   
  
That revelation had quite the opposite effect. Now Fox was more ill at ease with this guy   
than when he had the sword drawn.   
  
Only Peppy smiled. In fact he had been expecting some thing like this. "You're Connor   
Winter's son alright," He said more than a little amused. Cameron just looked at him with   
a cold look in his eyes.   
  
Fox finally got over his anxiety about the black fox that stood within easy striking   
distance of him and spoke. "Peppy? You knew this would happen?"   
  
"Well not exactly, but this is how me and your father met Connor Winter. He took me   
hostage on the landing field when we were interviewing applicants to form the squadron   
and your father hired him on the spot," Peppy replied, chuckling to him self.  
  
"So what was the point in that?" Fox asked. This was to both Peppy and Cameron. It was   
Cameron who answered. "Two reasons actually. Firstly because I never take chances   
when meeting new people. Second it was to show that I can," He explained, the same   
discomforting smile on his face that he had shown Jessa back at the asteroid belt   
encounter.  
  
"So can I assume you're not going to try to kill us again?" Fox said uneasily. Cameron   
simply nodded and held out his hand. Breathing a sigh of relief Fox smiled and shook   
Cameron's out stretched hand.   
  
At that moment Cameron raised his left hand to his ear. Fox hadn't noticed till now but   
Cameron had been wearing a com-link the whole time. "Yeah, the situation is under   
control. You can come on out now," He said speaking into mouthpiece that had been   
obscured by his shiny, jet black fur.  
  
In the background Fox could hear a high pitched noise. Then every one but Cameron   
gasped as they saw a fighter appear seemingly out of nowhere right on the flight deck.  
  
Once the ship had completely de-cloaked the canopy slid back and a beautiful young   
female wolf vaulted out of the cockpit.   
  
She had soft greyish brown fur and long dark hair, with a black stripe running up her   
head and down the length of her tail. She was wearing tight black leggings, a matching   
crop-top and a red jacket with sleeves rolled up to the elbow and strapped to her forearm   
was a light blaster pistol.   
  
As She strode across the launch bay Fox's mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged. So   
would Bill's and Falco's if they weren't already unconscious on the deck.   
  
"So I was right, you would have to beat some body up first," She said with a wicked   
smile on her lips.  
  
"So sue me, " Cameron said indicating to Falco's prone form "The stupid burk was thick   
enough to try and pull a gun on me and the other one wasn't much brighter," he   
continued smiling back.   
  
"Oh I don't mind. It just means I win our bet. And it's a bet I intend to collect on," She   
purred, brushing her tail under his face.  
  
Turning back to Fox and still smiling he introduced her. "Fox Mccloud, I would like to   
introduce Angela, my partner. Angela, Fox Mcloud." Kissing Angela on the hand Fox   
tried his best to be suave "Charmed," he said in his best James Bond accent. Angela just   
brushed him off and waved a finger tauntingly "Nice try but I'm already spoken for," She   
giggled.   
  
Fara glared at Fox for a moment and "humped".   
  
"Well now that we all know each other now, lets get these two up to the medical bay,"   
Cameron said indicating to Bill and Falco in turn.   
  
"Then I could do with some breakfast and a decent cup of tea," He said suddenly looking   
very tired.   
  
Every one present nodded in agreement. Fox and Peppy both hauled a body each onto   
their shoulders. As the group headed down the corridor to the lift Angela tapped Cameron   
on the shoulder and whispered "Partner?"   
  
"Well I couldn't just tell them you found me on the floor of a bar last night could I. I   
mean with my reputation?" he said in his best 13th Earl of Chelmsford impression.  
  
"Hmmm, I guess I'll just have to play along then," Angela whispered darkly.  
  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Peppy, Fox, Cameron, Kat and Angela sat round a table in the commissary a few decks   
up from the launch deck. Cameron sat highly contented as he sipped from a steaming   
mug of hot Earl Grey.  
  
"You know there is nothing in this galaxy quite like a good cup of tea," He said, finally   
looking relaxed for the first time since he came aboard. Peppy, the only other tea drinker   
on the whole ship nodded in agreement. "Puts the nerves to rights after a long day,"   
Peppy added.  
  
Fox finally spoke up and said what he had been meaning ask since Peppy had told him   
about how Cameron's father had been a member of the team years ago. "So Where have   
you been all these years, I'd have thought you would have followed in your fathers   
footsteps and joined us long ago."   
  
Cameron put down his tea and looked at Fox. "Well it was for a reason that I'm sure you   
could understand. I simply prefer to do things my own way. My grandfather always told   
me that I should be a warrior not a soldier. A soldier simply follows orders blindly and   
never asks questions, a warrior thinks for him self and does what he knows is right," He   
replied, calm and collected.   
  
"Besides, working alone pays better," He said jokingly.  
  
Fara came in at that point. "Well, Falco and Bill are going to be fine. Falco has a minor   
concussion and Bill has a fractured jaw but the bonesetters I gave him should have it   
healed in a day or so," she said, keeping her distance from Cameron as she sat down.  
  
Some thing had been bothering Peppy since Cameron had come aboard. "I remember   
Connor and well you're nothing like him. I mean Connor never seemed like the family   
type. Why didn't he tell me he had a son?"  
  
Cameron had that cold look in his eyes again. "You're right. My father wasn't the family   
type. My father wasn't some one you'd be proud to be related to. When my mother   
became pregnant with me, my dad ran almost as soon as I was born. Disgusted with his   
son's actions, my grandfather took me and my mother in and raised me to be every thing   
my father wasn't," he said. It was clear that he hated his father.  
  
Then he noticed some thing. "Um, when you're friend Bill wakes up could you tell him   
one of his teeth seems to be stuck to my boot," Cameron said half smiling.  
  
Then Kat spoke up. "That's a point. Did you HAVE to rough up my poor Falco so   
much?" She said rather grudgingly. Cameron smiled at this.   
  
"Hey, he was the one who pulled a gun on me. It was there for his own fault for being   
stupid," He said smirking.   
  
"Besides you should have seen what he did to this loser in the bar last night," Angela   
chipped in casting a smouldering look at Cameron.   
  
Kat then started to grin slightly and one ear pricked up as she said, "Well I can't   
complain though about what you did to Bill. Talk about a lack of thinking skills. What   
you said about soldiers was bang on for him."  
  
"Well that's enough sparkling repartee for now. Why did you come here and what does it   
have to do with me?" Fox asked. Cameron picked up his mug of tea again and smiled.   
  
"Finally we get down to brass tacks. Ok I'm assuming you know about the carrier group I   
destroyed in the asteroid belt just off Corneria a week ago," He said, his cultured English   
accent cool and calm as ever.   
  
"Yeah. That's one of the reasons General Pepper brought us in," Fox replied.   
  
Sipping his tea again Cameron narrowed his eyes and said "Well ask yourself: How does   
a Volga class heavy carrier and two Azan class cruisers slip past not one but two early   
warning defence nets and get within striking distance of the most strategically important   
planet in this system?"  
  
Fox thought about this question for a good few minutes, as did Peppy and Slippy.   
Fox finally answered snapping his fingers "Maybe they have an active cloaking device. I   
mean we've seen an automated defence weapon over Venom that had one. That way they   
could remain undetected."   
  
Slippy who had remained silent till now then spoke "Unlikely. The power requirements   
to cloak a capital ship as big as that would be enormous."   
  
Then Cameron added to this "He's right, as the physical mass of an object increases, the   
power required for the light bending camouflage increases at a staggering rate. Besides I   
tracked that fleet for three days through soft sleep with the active cloak and never lost   
sensor contact with them."   
  
"You knew they were coming! And you didn't warn any one?" Fox exclaimed, in both   
surprise and some anger. Cameron however was unfazed by this.   
  
Instead he spoke calm and cool as if nothing had happened. "If I had warned the C.D.F   
then the fleet would have been intercepted early and the full extent of this threat would   
not be apparent. Fleet ships are getting through and they are not being detected till it's too   
late."   
  
Peppy, logical and wise as ever backed him up "He's right Fox, we could have an   
invasion fleet on our door step and we wouldn't even know it till the bombs started to   
drop."   
  
"I engaged the fleet when became apparent they had made it all the way to Cornerian   
space unchallenged and the rest as they say is history," Cameron said before finishing his   
tea.   
  
"So how are they pulling it off then," Slippy piped up again.   
  
Cameron smiled his discomforting smile again. "The same way I knew you were coming   
and how you knew where to find me. The Cornerian defence surveillance network," He   
said, cool as ice.  
  
"Their hacking the defence nets?" Peppy exclaimed. "That or some ones cutting holes for   
them to slip through," Cameron said in the same cold tone. "An inside job?" Fox added.  
  
"That would be logical. If you were trying to conquer this system and brute force failed,   
you're next option is subterfuge," Cameron explained.   
  
"So what now?" Angela asked, a little taken back by all this.   
Cameron just turned to her and grinned. "First, as long as we are still in orbit we may as   
well get your ship up here, Because once that's done we're heading for the source of the   
Cornerian defence net."   
"Corneria here we come," Slippy added.  
  
"Meantime I think I better give your friend back his tooth," Cameron said as he pulled   
Bill's tooth out of his jackboot sole.  
  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Having dropped Angela off on the ground Cameron took off again and circled the landing   
ground just outside of Freeholm. Checking his radar he smiled as he saw the prearranged   
IFF signal that showed that Angela had found her ship and was air born.   
  
"I'm in the air and ready to move out," Angela said. Her warm, soothing, contralto voice   
had lost none of its seductive power. Even over the com-link. "Great, form up on me and   
lets get back to Great Fox," Cameron replied brightly.  
  
As Angela's ship pulled alongside the Angel, Cameron took in the full detail of its   
design. The ship (which Angela had told him was called the Wandering Star) was an old   
Aerodyne Dolphin class trade ship.   
The name Dolphin suited it perfectly. Despite the great age of these ships they were still   
regarded with high esteem by those who owned them. The ship had a long, elegant hull   
that looked rather more like a submarine than a star ship, with a keel fin just below the   
engine housing.   
The dappled, turquoise hull made the whole thing look more like some kind of sea   
creature. And despite being three times the Angel's size, it could probably outperform   
most fighters if it had to.   
It was possibly one of the most beautiful things Cameron had ever seen.  
  
"Hmm, nice ship. I was kind of expecting some thing like this," Cameron said as the   
Wandering Star pulled up close to his starboard wing.   
  
Angela looked across at him, smiling with pride in her ship. "And why is that?" She   
asked. Cameron just grinned him self and said "Logic. A drop dead gorgeous lady would   
have an equally drop dead gorgeous looking ship."   
  
"You sure know what a girl wants to hear. I'll remember to pay you back accordingly,"   
Angela replied, her sultry tone of voice smouldering like the embers of a fire.   
  
As soon as they were in orbit Cameron set about reacquiring Great Fox's position. "Okay   
nav-com says on our present course we should catch up with Great Fox in fifteen minutes   
if we hit full burn all the way," He said, cool and measured.   
  
"Oh good, that should give us some time to chat," Angela replied, half sarcastically.   
"Well there was some thing I wanted to ask you," Cameron said, unfazed by Angela's   
apparent lack of zeal.  
  
"Go ahead, shoot," Angela replied. Cameron's face had taken on a more serious look.   
  
"Why did you keep you're original name? Given the number of people across this whole   
quadrant who hate or fear Wolf O'donnel, I was very surprised that his sister still has his   
name," He asked carefully.   
Angela looked tired and she sighed a little before answering.   
  
"I guess it was a bit foolish, given how dangerous it is to be even associated with Wolf.   
Particularly in this system. But despite all the bad things he's done, he's still my brother   
and I still love him. That's why I do so much business in this system. I keep thinking that   
maybe he'll quit. Take his team and go work for some one else. But what ever he does I   
decided I would all ways be there for him. For better or worse." Angela's voice was   
mournful.   
  
It was clear she cared about her brother. Cameron envied her though. Her brother may   
have been the cruellest, most vicious pilot ever to fly, but at least she had a brother. At   
least she had family.  
  
The only family he had ever known had been his mother and grandfather. His whole life   
his grandfather treated him as his own son. Every day they would get up early to do their   
daily fencing exercises. As the sun rose over mountains they would duel and practice.  
  
His mother would always be there. She would sing to keep them in rhythm, her sweet   
clear voice drifting over the valley like a soft breeze.  
  
After sword practice he and his grandfather would sit out under the trees and his   
grandfather would teach him his lessons. Everyday he would learn the importance of   
honour, integrity and responsibility. Every thing his father had lacked.  
  
Then one day everything changed. On a spring day when he was five years old, a man   
came. A fox, with deep red fur, carrying a sword. Little Cameron didn't know him but the   
stranger seemed to have known him.   
  
The stranger introduced himself as James and said that he had been a friend of Cameron's   
father. He then told Cameron, his mother and Grandfather that his father had died. A tear   
had rolled down his grandfather's cheek as James told him how his son had given his life   
for another and done to first truly noble thing he had ever done.  
  
James stayed a few months. In that time Cameron had grown to like him like an older   
brother. James had told him stories of all the places he had been to. But most of all he   
told him about his home system, Lylat.  
  
But it was Cameron's mother who had grown closest to the tall red fox. Even at his   
young age, Cameron could see love when he saw it. So when James and his mother left,   
Cameron didn't cry. He was just glad to know that his mother would be happy.  
  
Cameron stayed and trained with his grandfather. He heard twice more from his mother.   
The first time was to say that she and James were married. The second, a year later was to   
tell him that he had a new half brother.  
  
But then he heard the worst news of his life. On his fifteenth birthday James came back.   
Just as he had carried the news of Connor's death, he carried the tale of his wife's death   
in an accident caused by some crazed scientist.  
  
After that Cameron was never quite the same.  
  
  
  
Chapter 15  
  
It was about two days into the voyage to Corneria. Most of those two days Cameron had   
spent asleep. Given that prior to coming aboard Great Fox the last time Cameron got any   
sleep was when the stew at Mama Bella's had rendered him unconscious.   
  
Angela walked into the gym to do her daily exercises. Cameron was already there.  
  
He had divested himself of his long coat and his T-shirt but he still wore his combat   
trousers, leather gloves and jackboots. He had his sword drawn and was going through a   
complex training sequence. Facing him was a hologram of a tall fox, with black fur,   
which apart from being four times his age and the scar over his right eye and having   
narrower features looked just like Cameron.   
  
"That must be his grandfather," She thought to her self.  
  
At first glance it looked like Cameron was simply following a learnt pattern as he   
matched the hologram strike for strike. But no, this was interactive. Cameron was   
duelling with the hologram as it adapted and changed style with machine speed.  
But fast as the hologram was Cameron still fought like a demon. The flash of the blade   
weaving a steel storm around him, some times just centimetres away from his body.  
  
But even the greatest swordsman has his limits. This duel had been raging for some time.   
How long, Angela had no idea. But given Cameron's excellent physical condition it must   
have been a long time.   
  
Sweat poured off him. His sleek jet-black fur clung to him like a Lycra suit, matted and   
soaked. Even through the cold whistling of the blade she could hear him panting,   
desperate for oxygen to keep him fighting. Then he lost his footing. Exsausted he   
stumbled to one knee, the hologram of his father didn't even break stride as it brought its   
broadsword down between Cameron's shoulders and then disappeared.  
  
Cameron stayed there, crumpled onto his knees, panting and spluttering as his body   
recovered. The only show that there was any strength left in his body was in how his   
hand was still clenched around his sword's handle. The holographic sparring computer   
chimed and then announced the statistics of this bout. " Difficulty rating 10.Time 2hours   
52minutes 29seconds. Strikes scored 3. Strikes taken 1. Swordsmanship rating 89%."   
  
Not having the benefit of seeing Cameron fight a real duel, Angela didn't know whether   
or not to be impressed. She walked over to the young knight and gently laid a hand on his   
shoulder. Suddenly Cameron's limp body burst into motion. In a blur he stood and swung   
his sword in a deadly arc towards Angela's neck.  
  
The blade stopped only centimetres from striking. Cameron's eyes were blazing with an   
internal fire. That wild, furious look was one Angela had seen before in the single eye of   
her brother, Wolf.   
  
As if in realisation of what he had almost done, Cameron dropped the sword. As the   
sword fell from his grasp the burning look left his eyes.  
  
Cameron sank to his knees again. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Angela knelt down next to   
him and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I don't think I could go on like that for nearly   
three hours with out feeling a little crazy," She said reassuringly.  
  
"I still have to apologise. It was a trained reflex, bred into me from generations of   
Tiirshak. By now I should have developed the self mastery to control my reactions," He   
said in the same soft tone.   
  
"Don't beat yourself up. You've got me to do that for you now," Angela said gigglingly.  
Cameron finally looked up and smiled. Seeing his smile Angela reached over and kissed   
him.   
  
"So like what's with the sparring hologram of you're dad. I mean I've heard of fighting   
your fathers ghost but I've never met any one who actually took it literally," Angela   
asked.   
  
Looking over to the sparring computer Cameron said "Its kind of a tradition in my   
family, we would spar with their parents to keep in shape. Since my father is dead and my   
grandfather is on the other side of the galaxy, this is the next best thing. It's mostly an   
exercise in endurance."  
  
Angela's face took on its smouldering, wicked look and the evil smile crossed her lips.   
"Well, I guess I'll just have to see for my self how well you've worked on that   
endurance," She said seductively.   
  
Cameron's eyes widened as Angela strode off to the showers, stripping off her already   
rather skimpy black crop top. One arm across her body, the other beckoning to Cameron   
she turned to half face him. "Well, you coming or not?" She said duskily.   
  
On the deck above, Falco was in the galley getting more ice for the lump on the top of his   
head, that Cameron had given him during his rather dramatic entrance. Even after two   
days his head still ached. A hand reached out and pinched him on the backside. The   
shock made him stand strait up and bang his already sore head on the inside of the   
freezer.  
  
"How's the head sugar?" Kat asked good-naturedly. Rubbing his head Flaco glared at   
her. "A lot worse than it was thirty seconds ago," He grumbled.   
  
Kat was wearing pair of blue denim cut offs with thigh length boots, a Wight t-shit with   
the arms cut of and knotted above her midriff and a black leather jacket. Strapped across   
her back in a manor similar to Cameron's sword was her long-rifle. In addition to being   
an ace pilot Kat was also credited as an expert sniper.   
  
Although Kat flirted with almost every man she met it was common knowledge that she   
was madly in love with Falco. How ever it was not common knowledge whether or not   
Falco returned her love. If so then it was a love/hate relationship.   
  
"Sorry bout that hon. I really am. It could be worse. That loser Bill still can't talk yet. His   
jaw still hurts so badly he has to write note to communicate  
e. You weren't too badly damaged," She said, half-apologising and half-flirting again.   
  
"Why are you still here Kat? That Winter guy turned out to be on our side so we don't   
need back up. Why haven't you left to go bother some body else?" Falco enquired   
grouchily.   
  
Turning her back on him and crossing her arms and "Humphing" at him slightly Kat   
turned to leave.   
  
"Since when have ah needed a reason to go where ah like, or in this case stay where ah   
like. Particularly when that "Winter guy" happens to be a handsome cultured gentleman.   
In that light, why ah bother with you is quite a mystery to me now," She said indignantly.  
  
As she stormed out the weight of Falco's actions hit him. "In the face of a scantily clad   
fox, Dixie chick, I just have to tell her to piss off and leave me alone," He thought to him   
self and slapping his hand to his forehead. Wincing as this added to his already chronic   
headache.   
  
Soon however his attention was drawn to something else. Walking over to the wall he   
activated the intercom system. "Hey slip, you there?" he said as he called in on the   
bridge.   
  
"Yeah, what's up?" Slippy returned.   
  
"I thought you fixed the ships plumbing last week," Falco said sounding slightly   
annoyed.   
  
"I thought I did too," Slippy replied, more than a little confused. "Well how come we got   
that banging noise from the pipes again?"   
  
  
To Be Continued…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Death on the Sierra Madre

  
  
Dark Angel (Part 4)  
  
By Edward" winter" Weldon  
  
  
Chapter 16  
  
The rumble from the main drives made the launch deck of Great Fox shake. But Slippy   
didn't care. He was too busy admiring the Angel.  
  
As an engineer and a pilot he appreciated fine workmanship in a ship. And this was some   
of the finest workmanship he had ever seen. The Angel's sleek lines and imposing dagger   
shape was a beautiful sight to look at. But it was her systems that he drooled over.   
  
The engines alone were the stuff of a mechanic's dreams. Slippy had gone over the   
maintenance simulations almost fifty times in the last hour. Just to see the flawless reheat   
system power up from frozen, with out a single part-scorch.   
  
The Angel's computer on the other hand was another matter. Slippy was an expert with   
engineering, not computers. He could maintain them but they were really Falco's forte.  
  
Despite his rash attitude and short temper, Falco was actually a pretty good hacker. All   
the same Slippy had never seen such a complex system as this. How anything this   
complicated could work without an army of techs was a mystery to him.  
  
Then Slippy nearly jumped out of his skin when a shadow loomed over him. "She's a   
beauty isn't she?" Came a calm English voice from above. Slippy breathed a sigh of   
relief as he looked up to see the handsome, black furred features of Cameron Winter.   
  
His long black coat and fatigues had been replaced with a black body suit that seemed to   
literally fit like a second skin, with rigid plates affixed to its surface like some kind of   
armour and a long combat knife strapped to his calf.   
  
The suit was matt black; in fact, it seemed to absorb light. It was like looking for a black   
light that lit up in black on a black background in a dark room.   
  
The only thing that offset the black was the gold pommel and guard of the katana on his   
back, still in its ornamental redstar wood scabbard. His twin assassin's blasters were still   
strapped to the back of his waist. They were black too.   
  
  
The mysterious young fox had some how got up onto the Angel's wing unnoticed and   
was crouched down looking down at him. Even with his attention drawn to the Angel's   
engineering perfection, Slippy would have at least heard the clump of Cameron's   
jackboots on the deck. Then Slippy noticed that he wasn't wearing his jackboots. The suit   
was a seamless one piece with a high collar and attached gloves.   
  
Of course this wasn't the first time. In the past four days since he came onboard over   
Fortuna, he must have done this at least three dozen times, to just about everyone on the   
ship.  
  
"Oh yeah, she's a marvel. Where did you get this ship? Prototype?" Slippy asked trying   
to hide his surprise.  
  
"Sort of, you see my grandfather and I built it based on an old design he had from about   
eighty years ago," Cameron replied as he back flipped off the wing and stood next to   
Slippy.   
  
"Huh? How could a ship that old be this advanced?" Slippy asked in even greater   
surprise. Cameron frowned a little "I said it was based on an old design, not that it was an   
old design. We used the basic hull design and weapons array but the rest, I don't know   
where it came from, my grandfather never told me," he explained.  
  
Slippy turned to face him and was about to ask another question but Cameron had already   
vanished just as silent and shadow like as he had come in.  
  
"How the hell does he do that?" Slippy asked himself out loud.  
  
On the bridge Fox was on the com-link to General Pepper. And the tidings were not   
good.  
  
"Hmmm, so you think we may have a spy on our hands?" The old hound asked. It was   
more of a rhetorical question as it had been suspected since the asteroid engagement.  
"Well that's Cameron's theory. Of course he also says that it's more than possible that we   
have multiple spies to deal with here," Fox replied, as he stood half to attention.   
  
It was a habit of his. He had the greatest of respect for the general but as a mercenary he   
was not bound by normal military rules of conduct. The result was that when addressing   
the general he had a kind of half-and-half stance.  
  
The general nodded and said, "Hmmm, well at least now we know who Cameron Winter   
is and what his intentions are. If he is who he says he is we may have gained a powerful   
ally, but keep an eye on him all the same."   
  
Fox half-smiled "Yes sir. Our expected ETA is about two days. Mcloud out," With that   
he closed the line and turned to leave. Bill was there, leaning against the door.   
  
"The general has a point. How do we know this guy's for real? You saw what happened   
when he came aboard. What if he had just decided to pull his trigger? Fara would be dead   
then us soon after," He said, running his hand across the livid bruise that still marked his   
jaw where Cameron had kicked him. Fox looked at his old friend.   
  
"And I also remember what he said. If he wanted to kill any of us we would be dust and   
ice crystals by now. From what I've seen these last few days I believe him on that," Fox   
said coolly.   
  
"So he hasn't decided to kill us yet, I still don't trust him." Bill turned to leave. "Just so   
you know, I'm keeping an armed blaster to hand as long as he's on this ship," Bill said   
with menace as he walked away.  
  
Crouched in an alcove, a system tap hooked into the security recorders, Cameron watched   
and listened with intent to Fox and Bill's conversation. He reached to his behind his back   
and checked the power cell on his customised assassin's pistols, making sure that the   
blast suppressers were firmly attached.   
  
"Mental note: Keep an eye on Commander Grey. If it becomes necessary, remove target,"   
He thought to himself. The long barrelled, silenced pistols gave out a short, rising hum as   
the firing chambers charged.   
  
Cameron would be ready for what ever came his way in the next few days.   
  
Chapter 17  
  
  
The piercing bleep of the internal com-link woke Wolf, cursing and just about ready to   
strangle some one for it.  
  
If not for his violent, sociopathic nature, Wolf would have been a prize catch for any   
young lady. In his mid thirties with a tall, well built frame and silvery grey fur he was   
certainly athletic.   
  
He was very handsome as well despite the patch over his ruined right eye. His remaining   
eye was a glittering blue colour that seemed to shine like a sapphire and he had a white   
stripe running up his head from the end of his muzzle right down the length of his tail.  
Both were features he shared with his sister Angela.   
  
Presently he was groggy and very annoyed. A quick glance at the chronometer on the   
table by his bunk only added to his fury.  
  
Storming over to the com-panel still wearing only his eye patch and boxer shorts, he   
thumped the answer button.   
  
The bright light from the screen hurt his eye so Wolf kept it half closed. On the screen he   
could just make out the face of Leon Powalski, his trusted second in command.  
  
"This had better be good Leon," Wolf groaned angrily. "I really must apologise for   
waking you sir but this is urgent. Operative zero-one has just confirmed that General   
Pepper is aware of his activities and those of his fellow agents," Leon said, his shifting   
between Wolf and the data-pad he was holding.  
  
Wolf looked unconcerned "Do they know who our agents are?" He said in an emotionless   
tone. Leon shook his head "He doesn't think so, not yet at least. But they do know where   
to start looking to find them," He continued.  
  
"Then tell him to carry out directive A1 and I'll go over the report over breakfast," Wolf   
said unfazed as he reached for the off button.   
  
"Oh and Leon, disturb me again tonight and I may just have to add some lizard skin boots   
to my wardrobe," He said with menace and then hit the off button.  
  
Despite his threat, Wolf would never actually try to kill Leon. Leon had been his best   
friend for nearly ten years. The two of them had saved each other's lives more times than   
they could count. But wolf had an image to maintain and who could tell who was   
listening in on their conversation.  
  
Now in the semidarkness of his quarters Wolf tiredly walked back to his bunk. He'd had   
a long day and his working hours seemed to be increasing as the Venomian military was   
increasingly dependant on the Star Wolf team.   
  
With Andross apparently gone the war with Corneria had continued simply because no   
order to stop had been issued. Andross's generals were not exactly known for their   
freethinking. Wolf the Star wolf team had stayed because of Wolf's undying hatred of   
Fox Mcloud. And the Venomian military had stayed together primarily out of fear of   
Wolf.  
  
So long as Fox Mcloud stayed in this system Wolf would stay. So long as Wolf stayed   
the war would continue. And as long as the war continued Fox would stay. It was a self-  
perpetuating circle that would end with the death of either Wolf or Fox or maybe both.  
  
But now this Cameron Winter had entered the equation the cycle would be altered. In   
what way no one could predict. Either way something big was coming. The game just got   
interesting.  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Scramble alarms sounded all over Great Fox. Everyone aboard rushed to the bridge to   
find out what was going on.  
  
Fox and Peppy reached the bridge first. "Rob, what's the alert?" Fox shouted. "We have   
just received a distress call from a civilian ship in our vicinity," the robot droned.  
  
"Put it through on the speakers," Peppy ordered. The message was barely audible under   
the static and the explosions. "This is the trader ship, Sierra Madre, we are under attack,   
to any…" the transmission was cut short by white noise and static. Cameron, Angela and   
Falco had arrived as the message was playing. "Did we get a fix on the position?" Falco   
asked hurriedly.  
  
"Affirmative," Rob droned. "Then lets saddle up, lock, load and kick some arse,"   
Cameron shouted.  
  
Within minutes the team and their allies were sprinting down to the flight deck. Kat, Bill   
and Slippy joined them on the way. Angela had stayed on the bridge to assist Rob if they   
needed to call down fire support.   
  
When they reached the launch bay, Fara was already there in a flight suit. Although Fara   
was an accomplished pilot, her role as ships medic meant that she rarely saw combat.   
Besides, Fox was way too protective of her.   
  
"Fara? What are you doing down here? I need you up in sick bay in case one of us is   
injured," Fox said. "Wrong Fox, you need me along to take care of the wounded on that   
ship. If that ship was hit as badly as we think, we may not have time to get them back   
here for medical care. I'm talk deck plate surgery here," Fara replied in a level assured   
tone.  
  
Cameron whistled over to them. "Yo, you can ride shotgun with me, I'm the only one   
with a back seat anyway," He called out as he climbed into the Angel's cockpit. Fara ran   
over and vaulted into the back seat, blowing Fox a kiss as he climbed into his own   
Arwing.  
  
The seven fighters launched in two pairs and a trio. Catapult launches were one of   
Cameron's favourite things about space combat. The sudden acceleration pushed him   
back into his padded seat. Behind him Fara checked her medical kit. After launch they   
settled into a flying claw formation with Fox at the center.  
  
"I got sensor contact on the Sierra Madre, twenty-five clicks and closing," Bill shouted.   
Then they saw it. The Sierra Madre was a heavy cargo freighter. Almost the length of a   
football field, it was basically a big frame for cargo pods with a crew section and an   
engine at either end. The crew section was about big enough for six decks and a small   
shuttle bay.   
  
The freighter was in the middle of a cloud of fighters; they looked like invader threes, not   
much on their own but in groups they could take down even an Arwing. About a   
kilometre off the starboard bow hovered a Volga class carrier like the one Cameron had   
destroyed almost two weeks ago.  
  
"There they are," Falco shouted. "That's funny, I don't see any escort ships," Slippy   
chipped in. "Yeah, well I see plenty of fighters," Falco replied. His tone was almost one   
of excitement at being in combat after almost eight months of relative peace.  
  
Fox smiled "Then split up and kick their ass's," He shouted as he hit his burners.   
Cameron slipped his Sharon Apple CD into the player and the wild rhythm of "Info   
High" surged through his nerves. "Oh and Cameron," Fox said, "If any thing happens to   
Fara, I'm going to use you as my personal tooth pick, GEDDIT," he added with menace.   
"Don't worry, If any thing happens to her, I won't be around to regret it either," Cameron   
replied unfazed.  
  
The seven ships spit up. Kat and Falco headed for the Madre to protect it from further   
attack; Cameron boosted off to engage the carrier and the rest of them surged ahead,   
scything through the fighters.  
  
As a fighter exploded in front of him, Falco punched the air as he shot right through the   
fireball. Kat's Arrow class interceptor knocked down two more. "This is what life is all   
about," She yelled.  
  
For Fox, Bill, Peppy and Slippy this was a turkey shoot. Invader threes depended on   
getting you alone and pinning you down. The Star Fox pilots had grown so accustomed to   
each others flying styles that they could predict each other like telepathy. If one picked up   
a tail then a squad mate would be there almost instantly to blow it to dust.  
  
A wing of ten Invaders interposed themselves between Cameron and the carrier. "A   
nightmare scenario, with a low probability of survival," He sang. Fara joined in "Cause   
I'm a weapon baby," "A weapon of mass destruction, " They both sang together, as   
Cameron pulled the trigger on his joystick. All ten fighters were the shredded by the   
smooth bore shells from the Angel's twin rapid-fire mass drivers.  
  
Little bits of hull metal pinged off the Angel's shields, making them flare white for a   
moment. As Cameron lined up on the carrier's flight deck he turned round and looked at   
Fara again. "Hey Fara, you like fireworks?" He asked. Fara nodded. With that, an evil   
smirk crossed Cameron's face.   
  
Flipping the cover off the bomb launch trigger on his joystick, Cameron fired a nova   
missile right down the carrier's throat just like the one in the asteroids. Just before the   
missile detonated, a large turret on the top of the carrier fired a shimmering white bolt of   
energy. The bolt just missed the Angel, as Cameron had already pulled up to avoid the   
blast of the carrier going critical. But they weren't its target.  
  
The bolt struck the Madre's crew section. A conduit on her side blew venting gas into   
space, arcs of electricity played across the hull and then every window went black. "What   
the hell?" Fox exclaimed. By this point there were only a few fighters left.  
  
Fara tapped Cameron on the shoulder. "Get us over there, they may have lost life support   
in that last hit," She shouted. Cameron nodded and hit his boosters.  
  
Landing on the Madre's small flight deck the two of them climbed out of the Angels   
cockpit. Almost immediately as they ventured into the hallway, Cameron's boot slipped   
on something. It was dark, as all the lights had blown. Shining his torch down to see what   
he had slipped on Cameron was almost sick at what he saw. Blood covered everything.   
Every wall, bulkhead and door ran with it. It seeped out of the vents. And bones, there   
were bones scattered every where across the deck. Fara looked on horrified "What in dear   
gods name happened here?" She gasped. "I think I might know. I just pray that I'm   
wrong this time," Cameron answered gravely.  
  
Back aboard Great Fox everyone was gathered in the lab that Slippy used for testing new   
parts and modifications. Cameron had set up a large melon on a stool and placed an   
armour-glass shield round it.   
  
Every one had the same sickened, mortified look on their faces. Thy had all seen the   
decks of the Sierra Madre with their own eyes. Now Cameron was going to explain what   
he thought had happened.  
  
"Okay, we all saw that weapon the carrier fired at the Madre and we've all seen the   
results," He said trying hard to sound calm and collected. "Yeah," Falco said "And I got   
two questions: first of all, how could any one do this to those people? And second, HOW   
could anyone do that to those people?" He asked, still nauseated from what he saw on the   
freighter.  
  
"Well for the answer to both questions, watch the melon," Cameron replied. He then   
lifted a thumb detonator and pushed it. A high pitched whine sounded and suddenly the   
melon exploded from the inside, splattering al over the shield.   
  
"I believe that a microwave pulse generator weapon was used here. They were originally   
conceived as a form of tight band communications system. But when the rather gruesome   
effects on organic tissue were discovered it was developed as a weapon but then banned.   
I rigged a small MPG mine under the melon and then ran an electromagnetic charge   
through the shield to protect us out here," Cameron explained with distaste.  
  
"I can see why they were banned," Peppy drawled, rubbing his throat as if he had been   
strangled. "Oh that's only if you were lucky. The worst that can happen is that you can   
survive the blast," Cameron replied.  
  
"Why is that bad?" Slippy asked. "Because you'd be left writhing on the deck in   
excruciating agony, your brains boiling, eyes bursting, flesh melted and fused and your   
internal organs half roasted from inside. Basically Satan's greatest hits," Cameron   
replied.  
  
"So what does this mean in the long term," Fox asked. "In the long term I don't know,"   
Cameron answered. Then Fara said, "In the short term this has the potential for a   
massacre of cataclysmic proportions."  
  
"I was able to protect us here under lab conditions because I knew the exact frequency of   
the MPG being used. A weapon like this used on unshielded targets or dare I say it a   
planet could be devastating," Cameron said gravely, indicating to the liquid melon for   
emphasis. "So what now," Bill chipped in. "First we fix the holes in the defence net, then   
we go hunting," Fox said with a snarl.  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Fox found Cameron sitting alone in the commissary with a data pad in one hand and a   
shot glass in the other. A bottle of strong vodka stood on the table next to him.  
  
Cameron had a gaunt, drawn look, like some one who hadn't slept in days. It had only   
been a couple of hours since the demonstration in the lab but it felt like weeks. The   
atmosphere of doom had hung round the whole ship since the discovery aboard the Sierra   
Madre. But no one had been effected more than Cameron and Fara.  
  
Fox knew that Fara was strong. She would get over even this, but Cameron he had only   
just met. Just what was going through the mysterious young fox's mind?  
  
"Hey, how you holding up," Fox said, carefully. Cameron looked up. His intense green   
eyes, so full of power and mystique had some how lost their shine. Before he had seemed   
unstoppable, as if he was like a wraith, coming and going like a shadow. But now he was   
just a mortal, a mortal with a great weight on his shoulders.  
  
"I've felt better," Cameron answered. A forced smile crossed his face. Fox sat down   
across from Cameron. Cameron had set the data pad down to refill his glass. Fox picked   
it up and studied it. The pad was a list of names, a crew manifest. It was the crew of the   
Sierra Madre.   
  
Cameron answered the question before Fox asked it, "I was just going over the   
possibilities in my head. Maybe I could have done some thing different. Maybe if we had   
been there sooner I could have stopped the carrier from firing. Maybe I could have taken   
out her turrets, but then even if I knew she had an MPG, I wouldn't know which turret to   
hit. And maybe, when the carrier fired, maybe I could have put myself in the way, maybe   
I could have taken the hit and the hundred and five people aboard the Sierra Madre would   
still be alive and I would be dead. But then, Fara would have died too, and an innocent   
would have been lost just to satisfy my honour," Cameron voice was both sad and angry.   
It reminded Fox of his own reaction to the news of his father's betrayal by Pigma Dengar   
all those years ago.  
  
"You can't blame your self or beat your self up over the past. I just got off the comm with   
the general. He says that they just completed analysis of the wreckage of the carrier you   
destroyed in the asteroid belt a couple of weeks back," Fox said consolingly. Cameron   
looked up at him.   
  
"According to the general, there is considerable evidence that the carrier you took out   
also had an MPG weapon like the one used on the Madre. If it had reached Corneria, he   
thinks they could have been looking at seven figure death tolls. You didn't fail a hundred   
and five lives; you save billions of people. Twice now in fact," Fox said softly. Cameron   
smiled again. This time, the smile was genuine and his eyes regained some of their   
former shine.  
  
Seeing the life return to the young man, Fox smiled as well. "So, what did you mean by   
your honour and how do you know so much about a banned weapon?" Fox asked   
tentatively. Cameron was by now feeling much better. "Well that would be from my   
grandfather, Eric Winter," He said.   
  
"Eric Winter? As in Sir Eric Winter?" Eric winter was a descendant of a long line of   
Cornerian knights. Although on Corneria the institution of knighthood had been extinct   
for almost two hundred years, he had kept the tradition alive. As the greatest among the   
old knight families, the Winter family had retained its titles and duties. But despite their   
former prestige, they were still seen as some thing of a relic at best, a joke at worst. And   
Eric Winter, last of the family line, left Corneria and never came back. And here was his   
grandson. Given his lineage, it explained the accent, the sword and his skill with it.  
  
"Yes, after my disgrace of a father left my mother to be mercenary rather than take   
responsibility for his actions, my grandfather took us in and taught me to be a knight,"   
Cameron said. The rage at his father and the reverence he had for his grandfather were   
clear. "And why were you so effected by what you saw on the Madre?" Fox asked   
carefully. Cameron's face took on a serious look again.   
  
"It was more to do with the timing. As you've probably heard by now, I was a corporate   
mercenary. About two years ago, a big corporation hired me to deliver a package to a   
research facility out in the middle of no-where. I didn't ask questions, I just took the   
money and did the job. After dropping off the package, I stayed a couple of hours, had a   
drink with the researchers and even flirted with an attractive lab assistant. Just after take   
off when I left, some thing happened aboard the facility. Over the comm line, I could here   
screaming. When I landed, there was blood every where, it was worse than on the Madre   
because half of them were still alive. Half melted on the deck, clawing at me, begging me   
to kill them. The package had been a small MPG war head, not powerful enough to kill   
every one on the facility outright, but enough to slaughter them all the same. The facility   
belonged to a company researching clean energy sources. The corporation that had hired   
me was a mining conglomerate out to protect their profits. So that day I made two vows   
on my honour. First of all that I would straiten up and live like a true knight, that I would   
fight the good fight and not simply follow the almighty C-bill like my father. The second   
was that I would never allow the atrocity that I had been a part of happen ever again. The   
massacre of Farpoint station was two years ago today and its happening again," He   
explained, a tear of sorrow ran down the sleek black fur of his cheek.  
  
After a moment or two of silence, Cameron regained his voice. "It wasn't till that day that   
I truly understood what my grandfather had taught me. I guess you could say, that was   
the day I became a knight," He said with more than a little pride.  
  
Fox smiled, "And so on that day, a new page began in history of the Winter family. The   
ascension of the last of the Cornerian knights," He said, sounding like a history professor.   
  
Cameron thought for a moment. "Well no, I'm not the last knight. My grandfather is still   
alive and so are you. I mean you're technically a knight. You know being half brothers   
and all," He replied.   
  
It took a moment for sentence to reach Fox's brain. He just sat there with a dopey,   
gormless look on his face. The only word to escape the wreck of his train of thought was   
"Huh?"  
  
Cameron was equally confused. But this was for a different reason. "Um, you know?   
Same mother, different father?" He asked, Fox just maintained the same nonplussed   
expression. Then realisation hit Cameron and a broad smile of impressively sharp looking   
white teeth crossed his features. "You mean to tell me, that neither your father or our   
mother told you that you had a brother?" Fox just nodded dumbly.   
  
Cameron almost fell out of his chair laughing. Calming down a little Cameron reached to   
the neck of his stealth-suit and produced a set of holographic dog tags that were engraved   
with the image of a winged sword, just like the one on Cameron's ship. "What's that?"   
Fox asked. "The proof," Cameron answered as he set the tags down on the table.   
  
Tapping the edge of them on the table, Cameron activated the tiny projectors. The image   
of a tall, scarred, old kit-fox with black fur and a beautiful, young fox with golden fur that   
held a young cub with black fur in her arms. "That's my grandfather Eric, me and my   
mother Rebecca," Cameron said, pointing to each figure in turn.  
  
Fox however instantly recognised the woman. She was his mother, Rebecca Mcloud. It   
was true, Cameron was his brother. The sheer power of this moment was overwhelming.   
This was one of those life-changing moments, like the day his father died or the moment   
he first met Fara. Neither him nor Cameron could find anything to say.  
  
Then Falco could be heard shouting across the deck. He limped in cursing, wearing a pair   
of black trousers, calf length boots and a shredded, yellow tunic with a Star Fleet patch   
on it. He was carrying what appeared to be a hat-stand with the blade from a garden   
weeder stuck onto one end. "Hey Fox, where's Fara? I think Kat broke my arm," He   
grumbled. Then Kat walked in after him. She was wearing a leather basque and thigh   
boots and had died her fur green. "Falco, stop being a little wuss. I whooped your ass   
according to the rules so don't complain," She shouted at him.  
  
"Might I ask?…" Cameron started. "No," Falco snapped as he limped away. Fox had just   
buried his face in his palm. "This happens every time the two of them watch Star Trek   
together," He said with dismay.  
  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Great Fox had finally reached Corneria. The whole crew had reconvened in the briefing   
room on the flight deck. They were all sat round the holographic map table that was used   
to out line the objectives for a mission.  
  
Fox was the first to speak "Okay guys, we hit Cornerian orbit in twenty minutes. I think   
our best course of action is to keep a low profile and put down at the CDF base here," He   
said, indicating to a point in the mountains above Corneria City.  
  
Cameron however shook his head and said, "I don't agree. I would suggest the main star   
port in Corneria City as a landing point and that we make a big show of our presence."  
  
Peppy nodded in agreement " He's right, the Venom military aren't stupid, they know   
that an assault on Corneria with us present would be a waste of ships and time. If we   
make a big enough noise, maybe we could dissuade them from making any moves yet,"   
He said logically.   
Then Falco chipped in "And besides, how often do we get the opportunity to bask in the   
glory and adulation of a whole planet for business purposes?" He said with relish.   
  
Then Fara added to the discussion " We show up, boosters at full and a mouth full of   
white teeth, local moral is going to be on an all time high and we get show off our state of   
the art hardware."   
  
A wide, evil grin spread across Angela's lovely features "Great, I always wanted to be in   
a Jane's day parade." Despite the almost universal disapproval of his plan, Fox wasn't   
disappointed. It was the mark of a good leader that he could accept a good plan when he   
heard it. Besides, When was the last time they got to bask in the glory and Adulation of a   
whole planet for business purposes? "Sounds like a plan, lets do it people," Fox said,   
grinning. "Let's kick the tires and light the fires," Cameron shouted, punching the air.  
  
The only one in the room who seemed to disapprove was Bill. Bill was a rather typical   
career officer. Although he was strict and disciplined, he was not entirely joyless, but still   
not exactly the life of the party. But his main source of resistance was from the fact that   
this was Cameron's idea.   
  
Within twenty minutes Great Fox was entering Corneria's atmosphere. She had an   
Arwing on each of her four wings, an Arrow class interceptor on her port flank, a Bulldog   
space superiority fighter on her starboard flank and the dagger like Angel flying on point.  
  
In a false accident, Fox had broadcast the news of their arrival over a civilian channel.   
The result was a massive crowd gathering at the star port they were due to arrive at. Falco   
was the first to notice the heaving throng below. "Hey Fox, check it out. Looks like our   
whole fan club is down there," He said, looking over at his commander.  
  
Fox smiled "Let's have some fun." With that all seven fighters broke formation. Joined   
by Bill, the main Star Fox team flew together in formation. Flying in a wedge, they   
looped rolled and dived in perfect synchronisation.   
  
Kat and Cameron however flew much more wildly. Screaming low to the ground,   
Cameron pulled the Angel's nose up in a tight climb so that she flipped right over in a   
360 loop with out even changing direction. Kat's Arrow barrel rolled as she shot right   
through a freighter hanger. Then the two of them formed up, flying with their wings   
almost touching. Suddenly they banked away from each other, then crossed each other's   
flight paths in a narrow scissors pass, each fighter missing the other by just inches.  
  
Finally all seven ships formed up into X formation with Fox at the center. Smoke   
canisters attached to the hull of each fighter ignited as they made a 360 roll and diving C-  
turn and firing display charges, rigged to detonate like fireworks.  
  
Settling back into a line abreast formation, the squadron landed together to the sounds of   
cheering animality. As excited as the crowd was during the display, as the canopy's   
opened to reveal Corneria's greatest heroes, they seemed on the edge of spontaneous   
combustion.  
  
Cameron somersaulted out of his cockpit and high-fived with Fox, the sunshine glinting   
on the pommel and scabbard of his prized katana, still sheathed on his back. More than   
ever Cameron displayed a frightening power and confidence. It seemed that it was   
catching, as Fox also seemed to be more active than usual.  
  
The seven pilots strode together, laughing and high-fiveing as they went. There was an   
almost tangible aura of confidence about them. This had been the most fun any of them   
had had in months. Even Bill, who had disapproved of the whole thing, had to admit he'd   
had a damn good time out there today.   
  
Soon Great Fox landed. Fara and Angela leapt down from the ramp before it had finished   
lowering. The two of them sprinted across the concrete to join the others. As soon as she   
reached him, Angela threw her arms around Cameron's neck and kissed him   
passionately. There was an almost universal jaw-drop among the crew. As soon as   
Angela had released her death grip on Cameron's face, he looked at the rest of the crew   
and said "What?"  
  
Fox just smiled, took his cue from his newfound brother and gave Fara a Fred Astair,   
bowing kiss. "Is it me or are those two getting more and more alike every time we see   
them together," Peppy drawled, looking in turn at Fox and Cameron.  
  
General Pepper soon arrived in a CDF staff car, escorted by a lance of combat bikes from   
the CDF scout corps. The whole group saluted as one as the General got out of the   
hovering grav-car. "Fox, its good to see you in person again," The old general said   
warmly.   
  
Fox nodded and replied "General, I'd like to introduce Cameron Winter, a Cornerian   
knight, man of profound honour and my half brother." "Your what?" The General   
spluttered, taken by surprise by Fox's words. "Long story," Cameron chipped in lightly.  
  
The General then turned to Angela. " And who is this lovely young woman?" He asked,   
regaining his composure. Angela smiled and shook his hand "I'm Angela, just Angela.   
I'm Cameron's navigator and business partner. I handle the brain work, he blows things   
up."  
  
"Hmm, well I'm very pleased to meet both of you. Particularly in the light of the   
revelation of what that Carrier group you destroyed could have done," The General said.   
Turning to Fox the General's face took on a more serious look "Fox I'm sure you'd like   
to get strait down to business. If you and Mr Winter could accompany me we can get   
started right away." "Yes sir. You guys gonna be okay?" Fox said turning back to the rest   
of the crew.   
  
"Oh sure, I'm quite certain we can amuse our selves for a few hours Fox," Peppy   
chuckled. "Okay then, we'll meet up back at the ship at 1600 hours," Fox replied.  
"I'll come too. Four heads are better than three," Bill added. "Good thinking man. We'll   
see you guys later," Fox said as he, the General and Cameron all got into the Staff car.  
  
The real reason Bill wanted to come was simply because he trusted Cameron about as he   
could throw Great Fox and there wasn't any way in hell he was leaving him alone with   
the General and his best friend.   
  
  
To be continued…   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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